Road Safety West of Scotland has just begun a year-long focus on encouraging all road users, whether pedestrians, riders or drivers to pay attention to what is happening on the road environment and to be aware of others sharing the road space.

'Failed to look' is one of the most common recorded causes of road crashes - over 7,500 injury crashes have occurred since the start of 2005, where crash investigation considered that a driver failed to look properly and a collision resulted. *

The 'Don't fail to look!' campaign started off on Scottish Television and Capital Radio on 24th September, running for two weeks on STV and one week on Capital Radio. These adverts are aimed at drivers.

The voice-over on the adverts sounds like a satellite navigation device that gives a commentary on hazards appearing along the way. The ultimate message is that it's your responsibility to look out for other road users

More adverts will follow in different media over the next 12 months, addressing a range of target audiences on the same theme.

* four out of five of these drivers were driving a car, two thirds were male and one third were under the age of 30.

Listen to the radio commercial

Watch the TV commercial here

Keeping safe on the road is child's play for the children at New Cumnock Primary School. Primary one teacher, Mrs Johnstone, has come up with a fun way to incorporate road safety into the curriculum. Whilst half her class cover Kerbcraft training outdoors, the remaining children are trying out the latest road safety resource Speeding Ted. The children are enjoying their road safety topic so much that a special 'roadway' has been designed and constructed in the classroom with the help of the children and staff.

Speeding Ted popped into Kilmarnock recently to deliver the latest road safety resources for primary schools. He was met by Councillor Tom Cook, Spokesperson for Improving Community Safety and local Junior Road Safety Officers who made sure he had been driving safely!

Developed by Glasgow City Council, the new whiteboard resource complements the Speeding Ted Road Safety Pack issued to schools across the West of Scotland in the autumn of last year. Developed by leading Scottish educational consultant, Linda Keith, the pack is linked to Curriculum for Excellence and, through active learning approaches; it provides opportunities for children to engage in the topic of speeding.

Councillor Cook was delighted to accept the new resource on behalf of East Ayrshire's schools. He said. "We have seen a steady reduction in road deaths and casualties during the lifetime of East Ayrshire, but we must continue to work hard to achieve the Government's casualty reduction targets for 2020. This new resource will complement the work currently being undertaken in our schools and nurseries and it highlights the benefits of working together towards those goals."

Neil Macgillivray from the Strathclyde Safety Camera Partnership welcomed the introduction of Speeding Ted to East Ayrshire. He commented: "Speeding Ted is a fun character with the serious job of encouraging the drivers of the future to think about careful and considerate driving from a very young age. I commend East Ayrshire Council for adopting the Speeding Ted materials so enthusiastically and for involving the junior road safety officers as ambassadors for Ted and his road safety lessons in their own schools."

Kirkstyle Primary School in Kilmarnock ran a series of basic scooter skills activity workshops during P1 induction days. The eight scooters purchased by the Parent Council were used to promote scooting to school as one solution to help reduce the problem of congestion. Working in small groups, the children, some of whom had never been on a scooter before, eagerly took up the challenge.

The workshops consisted of short discussions and hands on activities and were delivered by a member of staff and the school's two JRSO's . The children developed an understanding of the need to ride safely and not cause a nuisance to others while scooting. The 25 children enjoyed the experience and all received a certificate at the end of the sessions.

Crossing the road is kid's play - Read article..

Biking Champions - Read article..

Drivers in Glasgow are being urged to reduce their speed as the Go Safe Glasgow partnership launched its year long 'Make Glasgow Smile' speeding enforcement campaign on the 22 of February 2012.

Despite the awareness of the dangers of speeding it continues to be an issue in the city and is something both the council and councillors regularly receive complaints about from the public.

Central to the campaign, Strathclyde Police's Divisional Road Policing Units, one of the Go Safe Glasgow partners, will be undertaking regular monthly enforcement days at known speeding hotspots, throughout the year.

As part of the campaign the Council has also installed 61 'smiley signs' around the city that display your speed as you approach the sign. The face below your speed indicates a happy or sad face depending on the speed registered and if it within the speed limit of the area.

The signs are moveable and will be relocated at different sites around the city as the campaign progresses. It is hoped that the presence of the signs will encourage drivers to think about their speed and not exceed the speed limit for the area.

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