🚦 Road Safety Week: Safe Vehicles Save Lives – A Personal Plea

Road Safety Week is an annual campaign that gives us all a vital opportunity to pause and reflect on how we use our roads. This year's theme, Safe Vehicles Save Lives, resonates deeply with me, touching upon lessons learned, tragic losses, and the daily reality of driving on Britain's busiest routes.

👨‍🚒 The Lifelong Lessons of a Firefighter Dad

The importance of road safety was instilled in me from a young age, thanks to my dad. As a dedicated Firefighter in the London Fire Brigade and an avid biker, he didn't just teach me; he enforced safety.

From holding my hand to cross the road at a dedicated crossing, to the nervous hours of learning to drive, those lessons continue today. Even now, before I set off on a long journey to visit a client, I can hear his voice: "Check your vehicle, check your tires, check your oil." These simple checks are not just maintenance; they are a critical act of responsibility that ensures my vehicle is a safe machine, ready for the road. Safe vehicles don't just protect you; they protect everyone around you.

💔 The Unacceptable Cost of Dangerous Driving

My commitment to road safety is tragically personal. I have experienced the devastating, permanent consequences when drivers make reckless choices. I have lost family members due to a drink driver and a close family friend due to dangerous driving.

In both heartbreaking instances, the victims, both on motorbikes, were innocent parties who paid the ultimate price for someone else's irresponsibility. It’s a painful reminder that road safety is not an abstract concept; it is the difference between a normal day and a life-shattering tragedy.

🥂 The Christmas Warning: Don't Drink and Drive

As the festive lights begin to twinkle and Christmas draws closer, we must reiterate one of the most vital road safety messages: Do not drink and drive.

Please remember that this rule applies just as much to the morning after. A few hours of sleep does not automatically mean you are safe and legal to drive. Your body needs time to process alcohol. Before getting behind the wheel, ask yourself: Is this journey worth risking my life, my license, and the lives of innocent people?

Let's Make a Change This Week

This Road Safety Week, I urge everyone to:

1. Check Your Car: Make sure your tyres, oil, lights, and windscreen wipers are in perfect working order. A safe vehicle saves lives.
2. Focus on the Road: Eliminate distractions and remember that aggressive driving is dangerous driving.
3. Plan Ahead: If you are drinking, plan for safe travel home - book a taxi or assign a designated driver. Never risk the morning after.

Let's honour the memory of those we have lost and protect the futures of those we love.

Let's make our roads safer, together.

@brakecharity #RoadSafetyWeek