It will launch from Plymouth to highlight the resources needed to respond to incidents
Author: Emma HartPublished on 09/13/2021
Last updated on 09/13/2021
A convoy of ambulance vehicles will be en route on a main route in Devon on Monday to highlight the resources needed to deal with a major road accident.
It comes after a series of crashes in the southwest that have resulted in numerous deaths and serious injuries in the past few weeks.
Devon and Cornwall police vehicles, Devon and Somerset fire and rescue engines, ambulances, national highways vehicles and rescue motorcycles will travel together on the A38 from Plymouth to the Devon Air Ambulance base at Exeter Airport.
The convoy will officially start the national road safety road trip organized by the charity EDWARD project (Every day without street death).
All participants are members of the Vision Zero Southwest Road Safety Partnership, a group that aims to eliminate ALL serious and fatal collisions on the roads of Devon and Cornwall.
The event will also include details on a new project where 170 dashcams will be distributed free of charge to companies that regularly use our road network to allow them to feed Operation Snap of the Devon and Cornwall Police.
What happens and when
The emergency services will be on Monday morning (13 Safe38 campaign group and other Vision Zero partners who all share the common goal of reducing major collisions to zero.
The road trip will then be officially opened at 11 a.m. by Police and Criminal Investigation Commissioner Alison Hernandez, who chairs Vision Zero South West and is also the APCC’s national director for road safety.
It is scheduled to arrive at Exeter Airport at 12:00 PM before traveling to Taunton Deane Services at around 1:30 PM, where it is expected to arrive at 2:15 PM.
Commissioner Hernandez said: “Vision Zero believes that every tragic death on our streets is avoidable and we are determined to do everything in our power to make this vision a reality.
“We can only do that by working closely with the other agencies, who are also seeing the terrible and far-reaching effects of these collisions.
“I am very excited to start the Project EDWARD road trip, which will hopefully shed light across the country on some of the innovative projects we are undertaking to prevent deaths and serious injuries on our roads.
“A great example of this is our dashcam project, where my office and National Highways pay 170 dashcams to ship to local businesses for free. This gives us 170 additional pairs of eyes on our roads to capture dangerous drivers and take action against them through the Devon and Cornwall Police Department’s Op Snap initiative.
“When more people are watching, the likelihood that bad drivers will be caught increases. I hope this will make drivers more alert and make our roads safer for everyone. “
Road Police Superintendent Adrian Leisk said: “Unfortunately we still see far too many people killed or seriously injured on our road network in Devon and Cornwall trying to stay safe.
“It is estimated that the cost of a fatal collision to public services is around 2.2 million after 55 people sadly lost their lives on our streets.
“The EDWARD project is helping us to raise awareness of the devastating consequences of severe and fatal collisions, and this convoy will simulate the significant number of resources deployed on collision scenes.”
Commenting on the Dashcam project, Mark Cartwright, Head of Commercial Vehicle Incident Prevention at National Highways, said, “I am delighted to be working with the Devon & Cornwall Police and Vision Zero South West on this initiative that aims to keep everyone safe improve by shining a light on bad driver behavior, such as driving. B. close follow, business, dangerous driving in the southwest.
“This initiative also aims to raise awareness of Operation Snap and encourage drivers to rethink the way they drive.
“We are confident that this initiative, in collaboration with our road safety partners, will help expand our safety messages to drivers and raise awareness that those who behave risky can expect to be discovered and, if a crime is committed has been committed, measures will be taken by our enforcement partners “.
Andrew Priest, Road Safety, Education and Community Risk Manager at Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, said, “As key partners of Vision Zero South West, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service are proud to be back on the EDWARD project this year to support .
“As a fire brigade, we accompany around 1,000 traffic accidents every year and are very aware of the trauma and long-term consequences of these incidents for those affected, their families and communities.
“The EDWARD project offers us the opportunity to present our cooperation in the field of road safety and at the same time to convey important safety messages to our most vulnerable road users.”
James Millidge, Chair of the Safe38 Campaign Group, said, “Safe38 is excited to be part of this important safety initiative on the A38 and beyond.
“We hope these dashcams will help encourage drivers to think carefully about their own driving, as safer roads begin with us all taking responsibility for our own driving behavior and making positive changes when necessary.”
Cllr Philip Desmonde, Cabinet Portfolio Owner of the Cornwall Council on Transport, said: “Fatal and serious traffic collisions are devastating and long-lasting.
“Our shared vision is that the road network of Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly will be free of deaths and serious injuries by 2040. This goal, while brave and ambitious, is achievable if we work together and continue to lead when it comes to “improving road safety”.
