Publicity - 2007

From October 2007 onwards news archives have continued on a different page.

Since the launch of the redesigned Suffolk Roadsafe website we now carry a home page with latest news to keep visitors up to date with the world of road safety. As stories are added the older ones will drop off into an archive. Click here for more past news items.

September

Motorcycle Pitstop

The Suffolk Ride Network held their final "pitstop" day of the year at Orwells Motorcycles, Ipswich.

Road safety officers were joined by dealers, trainers and the police to promote safe biking to passing motorcyclists. On offer were free, assessed rides, a bike check, advice on training, and information on the police training scheme, "Bikesafe".

Bikers were also treated to a cup of tea and a bacon butty to help them on their way!

August

Summer Drink & Drug Drive Campaign

The police promoted a summer drink and drug drive campaign warning motorists of the dangers of driving after taking alcohol or illegal substances.

The campaign was supported by a dramatic photograph on a postcard with the heading "Summer Daze", which illustrated the possible consequences of making a mistake while under the influence. Postcards were handed out to motorists by officers.

July

Suffolk Roadsafe Supports Junior Blues

The Suffolk Roadsafe partnership has become the proud supporter of the Junior Blues, the club for youngsters under 16 who support Ipswich Town Football Club.

The mutually beneficial relationship allows officers to promote road safety messages directly to club members. The young people are encouraged to answer road safety questions through entering competitions which have prizes such as signed footballs and shirts, and even a chance to become a game mascot!

Junior Road Safety Officers Awards

Over 100 young people and their teachers were invited to Endeavour House for the annual Junior Road Safety Officer awards.

County Councillor, Guy McGregor presented trophies to three schools, one from each of the three education areas in Suffolk.

After a tour of the building the guests were treated to a buffet lunch.

June

Congratulations to Valeria Lee, our longest serving School Crossing Patrol, who was awarded an MBE this summer for her contribution to road safety in the community.

Valeria's long career of 41 years has seen her cross 3 generations of children through her Patrol point at Blyburgate/Ingate in Beccles. At present she has no wish to retire and is still operating her point!

Valeria and her husband travelled to Buckingham Palace on 25 October and received her MBE from Prince Charles.

May

Children from Chilton Primary School in Stowmarket helped us publicise Walk to School Week by posing for photographs with an inflatable globe. At 1.14 metres tall, its size is the volume of carbon dioxide released on an average day’s school run. This year in Suffolk we beat all previous records for participation in the event, with over 200 schools and nearly 40,000 pupils taking part!

Suffolk Show
This year’s Suffolk County Council marquee was busier than ever, with an emphasis on road safety messages from the Suffolk Roadsafe Group. Road safety officers teamed up with police, fire service and Safecam staff to talk to visitors and answer questions.

Fire Officers Tom Sawyer and Marty Royal take time out from discussing their Learn & Live educational project to meet an unusual visitor!

Road Safety Officer, John Showell (left) takes children through an interactive Highway Code quiz.

PC Julie Andrew (left) explains driving techniques to a visitor using our latest Driving Simulator equipment.

PC Kevin Stark (centre) and Road Safety Engineer, Mark Youngman (right) talk bikes to motorcycling enthusiasts who were keen to know more about the "Bikesafe" course and Suffolk Ride Network.

Visitors to the Safety Camera area receive information packs from Safecam team members Terry Marsh and Michelle Finnerty (both right of picture).

April

We picked a good month to begin our start of season motorcycle safety campaign with the warmest April on record! Road safety officers, police, motorcycle dealers, trainers and clubs, all joined forces to hold a "Pitstop Day" at Tubby T's café near Stradishall.

Professionals and enthusiasts were on hand to offer assessed rides, mechanical checks, and biking tips, as well as a bacon butty from the café! The pilot day proved to be a great success and we hope to hold more "Pitstops" this year.

Child seat safety is one of our main concerns and we purchased a number of CD's which contained fitting and safety advice. The CD's were offered free of charge through this website.

March

We ran an awareness promotion to highlight the changes in mobile phone legislation. From 27 February drivers caught using a phone illegally will receive a £60 fine and three penalty points on the driving licence. The heavier penalties reflect the dangers of using mobile phones while driving.

We teamed up with our police colleagues to produce a simple, illustrated leaflet describing some of the basic "do's and don'ts" of UK driving law. There are a growing number of foreign drivers in Suffolk who do not speak english very well and this leaflet is a useful way of communicating with them.

February

Young driver safety featured again this month with the annual "For My Girlfriend" Valentine's campaign. We targeted schools and colleges with 8,000 Valentine cards which carried a road safety message. To help us boost awareness for the promotion the emergency services got together for a photo-opportunity to show how many people are involved in a 999 call-out.

To ensure that drivers at the other end of the age range aren't forgotten we held a number of Mature Drivers' refresher courses this month. The day seminars were held in locations around the county and featured talks by Approved Driving Instructors followed by an assessed drive. We were overwhelmed by the number of people who wanted to attend and will be running more of these days during the coming year.

January

Our campaign for improving the standard of driving among young drivers received a boost when Look East television took an interest in the promotion and featured it on their news programme. The Pass Plus discount scheme has enjoyed great success with over 500 drivers aged 17 - 19 having completed the course during 2006. The promotion will continue into 2007.