POLICE, AIR AMBULANCE, FIRE, COUNCILS, FLEETS, CHILDREN, HORSES
EVERYONE’S INVOLVED
PROJECT EDWARD: 13-17 September

 Project EDWARD – Every Day Without A Road Death – will be sweeping through England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland this year with a week-long series of events to promote road safety between 13 and 17 September. Project EDWARD is backed by government, the emergency services, highways agencies, road safety organisations and British businesses and promotes an evidence-led, ‘safe system’ approach – the long-term objective of which is a road traffic system free from death and serious injury.

What’s going on, where?

• Three Kia Soul EVs take part in a green challenge to cover the country using the smallest charge – with live updates
• They will set off from Dundee, Plymouth and Cambridgeshire to The Midlands
• Drivers will showcase the best examples of safe road planning, post-crash response, design and engineering
• Police forces across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland take part in first National Safe Speeds Day 15 September
• Fire services, air ambulances and road safety partnerships demonstrate new advances in post-crash care
• Kent and Cambridgeshire County Councils sign up to the “Safe System” aiming for zero road deaths
• South Queensferry traffic control operations room shows it’s the nerve centre of Scotland’s road traffic network
• In Exeter, Devon, a convoy of emergency service vehicles will accompany the Project EDWARD vehicle and results from the Air Ambulance’s recent life-saving missions will be shared
• In the New Forest, the crew will briefly swap four wheels for four legs as they consider the safety of horses and riders
• Sussex, where police officers will be on hand to talk about Operation Close Pass – an initiative to promote safety for cyclists and other vulnerable road users
• The team will engage with Community Speed Watch groups and visiting depots of large transport fleets including Waitrose and Royal Mail.
• International VIP day in Kent demonstrates the newest, safest technology in cars, vans and HGVs*

What else?

Monday 13 September

• Marsh Mills in Plymouth Alison Hernandez, Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon and Cornwall, will formally launch the three road trips
• Dundee “Go Safe With Ziggy – a Road Safety Scotland event aimed at children
• A police operation in Ely, Cambridgeshire

Tuesday 14 September

• Broadcast from Scottish Fire and Rescue HQ, Glasgow
• Cambuslang, at the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service HQ for a Vision Zero event, with a casualty extrication demonstration
• Rutherglen Looking at one of the first Average Speed Check sites to be set up on a local road in Scotland
• Plumpton College near Brighton
• Leatherhead: visiting the DVLA at Junction 9 M25
• Operation Tramline activity on the M4, Wiltshire to highlight and prevent examples of unsafe driver behaviour such as non-wearing of seatbelts, drivers on the phone – and meeting the Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner
• A ‘Close Pass’ safety event in Sussex on sharing the roads with cyclists
• Examples from Avon and Somerset of how dash cam footage is collected and used to help keep cyclists and horse riders safe
• Broadcast from Safer Roads Essex Partnership in Chelmsford
• Cleveland: The launch of Community Speed Watch by Cleveland Police, with new equipment funded by speed awareness course attendances. Talking to the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for the area. Also looking at a demonstration of post-crash response by Fire and Rescue teams
• Swindon: Badbury Weighbridge
• Eastleigh: Hampshire Fire and Rescue emergency services giving extrication demonstrations
• Romsey: Royal Mail depot looking at safe driving for work

Wednesday 15 September

• First ever 24-hour National Safe Speeds Day – Police activity across the UK to highlight the human cost of excessive speed
• Spending time with Lincolnshire Police for updates on Safe Speeds Day
• Brockenhurst in the New Forest focusing on speed and horses with a team from Hampshire Police on their part in Safe Speeds Day and to discuss initiatives designed to protect people and animals in the New Forest
• Manston in Kent: Vision Zero launch attended by HRH Prince Michael of Kent and Roads Minister Baroness Vere. This is multi-agency approach to reduce deaths and serious injuries on the county’s roads, with vehicle demos
• Cobham services M25 for vehicle recharge
• Bracknell at Waitrose distribution depot looking at some great examples of safer driving for work
• Gloucestershire to view community speed enforcement activity

Thursday 16 September

• Nottingham city centre, looking at road enforcement activity in response to locally-highlighted concerns
• Leominster in Herefordshire for the start of a ‘Dying to Drive’ event organised by Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue
• St Brides Major near Bridgend
• Port Abraham Services, Swansea at the western end of the M4 to meet two Police and Crime Commissioners: Alun Michael from South Wales and Dafydd Llywelyn from Dyfed-Powys
• Warwickshire – Leek Wooton an operation led by Warwickshire Police
• Virtual reality action from Openreach in Stafford
• Operation Safer Junction at Parkfield Road in Wolverhampton

Friday 17 September

• The three vehicles will finish in Kenilworth in Warwickshire for the final event of the week, aimed at organisations in the transport and infrastructure sectors
• Broadcast will be linking live to fire and rescue experts at the National Extrication Challenge in Newcastle

Project EDWARD founder and organiser, James Luckhurst says: “This is just a summary of the many events we have around the country. We welcome members of the public to look in at our events and cheer on our three drivers, and we welcome media to film and report.”

Project EDWARD this year is managed by RoadSafe in partnership with Driving for Better Business, a government-backed programme to help employers in the private and public sectors reduce work-related road risk, protecting staff who drive or ride for work, and others who they may share the road with.

Adrian Walsh, Director of RoadSafe, says: “Project EDWARD is about all road users, road authorities and emergency services joining forces with the aim of zero road deaths.

“Our road trips will be stopping at multiple locations each day to share exciting content, knowledge, interviews and stories all linked to keeping those who drive for work safe.

“We will be looking at Safer Drivers, Safer Vehicles, Safer Journeys and Driver Wellbeing as well as how best to manage those who drive for work in order to reduce risk, control costs and improve efficiency. Our aim is to provide a platform that showcases some of the best work being done around the country.”

Financial support has been provided this year by Westcotec Ltd, GEM Motoring Assist, DriveTech Ltd, HCC Solicitors, Jenoptik, Carnell and D.tec International. Full details of events, activity, resources, supporters and sponsors can be found on the Project EDWARD website www.projectedward.org  and via #ProjectEDWARD on social media

*VIP Fleet Safety Vehicle Demonstration

Kent County Council is launching its ambitious “Vision Zero” road safety strategy aiming for zero fatalities on the county’s roads by 2050. HRH Prince Michael of Kent, the patron for Towards Zero Foundation, will speak at a press conference (10am to 11.45am) alongside Baroness Vere, Minister for Roads. The event will feature demonstrations of vehicle safety technologies such as Autonomous Emergency Braking which have great potential to help commercial vehicles including vans, buses and HGVs avoid collisions.

The event will highlight the gaps between car and van safety – a major theme for the organisers, RoadSafe and Driving for Better Business. While new cars must be fitted with this equipment, there is no such legislation for vans, leading to a lack of market competition in this area.

 

Notes for editors

For detail on the road trips, please contact James Luckhurst, creator and project manager [email protected]07770 608153 or visit https://projectedward.org/2021-road-trip/

 

*VIP Fleet Safety Vehicle Demonstration

Media are invited to see this technology in action and experience Intelligent Speed Assistance; find out how road layout can alter a driver’s behaviour; watch reconstructions of what can happen when vehicles without emergency devices are involved in a crash; and witness auto braking when a pedestrian or cyclist is involved or when reversing. For access, please contact:

Project EDWARD: Becky Hadley, [email protected] 07733 054839

KCC Communications Officer, Ellis Stephenson [email protected]

 

About Driving for Better Business

Driving for work is one of the highest-risk activities that many employees undertake, whether they drive a commercial vehicle, a company car or make occasional work journeys in their own vehicle. As the gig economy continues to grow, this also means those who ride for work as well as those who drive.

Driving for Better Business is a free to access government-backed Highways England programme, delivered in partnership with RoadSafe, to help employers in the private and public sectors reduce work-related road risk, protecting staff who drive or ride for work, and others who they may share the road with.

Our mission is to improve the levels of compliance for all those who drive or ride for work by sharing good practice and demonstrating the significant business benefits of managing work-related road risk more effectively.