Road safety seminar

The importance of road safety will be highlighted at a seminar next week (Monday 10th December) held in the Golf View Hotel, Nairn.

Organised by The Highland Council’s Road Safety Team, the seminar aims to cover the issues of education, engineering, enforcement and future of road safety and will be attended by MPs and MSPs and councillors.

Councillor John Laing, Chairman of The Highland Council’s TEC Services Committee said: “I urge all members representing The Highland Council, community councils and MPs and MSPs to join us at the road safety seminar in Nairn. It is important that the people involved in making, often difficult decisions, are faced with the facts and information that can help them to make informed decisions regarding road safety. The seminar supports the Council’s agenda to work more closely with the police promoting road safety issued, particularly for out young people.”

Event organiser Lisa MacKellaich said: “The Highland Council as Local Roads Authority has a statutory duty, under the Road Traffic Act 1991, to ‘prepare and carry out a programme of measures designed to promote Road Safety’ and to assist in the challenging national target of reducing, by 2010:

“The Highland Council cannot achieve this alone, and we work with a variety of organisations with the aim of achieving a lasting reduction in road casualties.

 “Road Safety is a complex issue encompassing a diverse range of challenges and solutions. The cost of road accidents, both in financial terms and personal suffering, is significant. Each fatality in Scotland costs the community £1.3million; however the cost, in terms of personal tragedy, simply cannot be measured. The financial cost of a serious accident is estimated at £170,000, while a slight accident is estimated at £17,000."

This seminar is aimed at Highland Council Ward Managers, Local Members, MSPs, and Community Councillors and will provide them with an understanding of the basics of road safety, to enable them to provide the best advice and information and assist with reducing road accidents in Highland.

Speakers on the day will include The Highland Council’s, Director, Chair and Road Safety Officer with TEC Services and representatives from the Scottish Government Road Safety Expert Panel and Institute of Road Safety Officers; Road Safety Scotland, Northern Constabulary, Scottish Ambulance Service, Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue Service, and Transport Scotland.