Ziggy The Zebra: Ziggy with Sally Jones – Road Safety Team Member and children from Meads CP School

A NEW national campaign urging drivers to adhere to 20mph zones outside schools is being supported by Pembrokeshire County Council’s road safety team. The ‘20mph Rule Outside Schools’ campaign from GoSafe is focusing on educating motorists about the importance of adhering to the relevant limit.

Speed enforcement vans will be sent to four locations in Pembrokeshire over the next three weeks as part of the campaign. Chris Hume, Partnership Manager at GoSafe, said; “The launch of ‘20mph Rule Outside Schools’ will help road users to stop, think and kill their speed. Our aim is for everyone in Wales to understand the effects that those exceeding the 20mph limit can have on families and friends.” He then went on to explain: “Failure to keep within the limit puts children at risk, and leaves drivers liable to prosecution.”

Councillor Rob Lewis, Cabinet Member for Transportation and Major Events, said it was essential that drivers observe the 20mph speed limits outside schools.There are 25 zones outside schools in Pembrokeshire where the speed limit is 20mph,” he said. “If you speed in these zones you are putting children’s lives in danger.” According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA) while there is a 20% chance of fatal injury when someone is hit by a car travelling at 30mph, this reduces to just 2.5% if the car is travelling at 20mph. The County Council’s road safety team is also supporting a new national seat belt safety campaign.

The team visited local schools this week promoting seatbelt safety with mascot Ziggy the Zebra. “The law states that all children travelling in the front or back of any car, van or goods vehicle MUST use the correct car seat for their size,” said Cllr Rob Lewis. “They must use a car seat until they are either 135 cm in height or 12 years old (which ever they reach fi rst). After this they must use an adult seatbelt. There are very few exceptions.” It is the driver’s responsibility to ensure that children under the age of 14 years are restrained correctly in accordance with the law The use of seatbelts is the single most effective method of reducing injury in motor vehicle collisions.

Experts have estimated that increased seatbelt wearing as the result of national legislation and police enforcement has reduced fatalities by more than 20%. “Research has shown that the use of child restraints can make a big contribution to reducing the severity of road accident injuries.” said Cllr Lewis. “A child under the age of four is 10 times more likely to be killed in a car crash if unrestrained.That’s why wearing a seatbelt is not a matter of choice but something everyone must do.” The Good Egg Guide to child in-car safety is available on request. Please email road.safety@pembrokeshire. gov.uk or 01437 775144 for a copy.