New road safety campaign launched

Pedestrians also take risks; 54 per cent walk through stationary traffic when in a rush; 68per cent of 17-24 year olds do it regularly.

The plea comes as new research shows the majority of people in Scotland (87 per cent) think a collision with a pedestrian at 30mph would not be fatal – yet pedestrians are seven times as likely to be killed if hit at 30 mph than 20mph.

The survey by Road Safety Scotland comes after an increase in the number of pedestrians being killed or seriously injured in Scotland, with 95 pr cent of these injury accidents happening on built-up roads.

It’s led to a new campaign ‘In Town Slow Down’ which launches this week.

Drivers are urged to reduce their speed to allow time to respond in built-up areas and pedestrians and drivers are reminded to ‘look out’ for each other.

In the campaign’s powerful visuals, people and scenarios – such as a mother and pram, schoolchildren and elderly people – are depicted as eggs about to be hit by objects such a brick and sledgehammer, representing a different vehicle that could seriously injure or kill a pedestrian.

The campaign is running across multiple channels including radio, digital advertising, outdoor, PR and social media.

Superintendent Fraser Candlish, Deputy Head of Road Policing at Police Scotland said: “Reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads is a priority for us all.

“During 2014 there were more than 1700 pedestrian casualties in Scotland, which included 56 fatalities.

“Police Scotland is committed to achieving the Scottish Government’s 2020 casualty reduction targets.

“We hope this new campaign will help to reduce the number of pedestrians being killed or seriously injured in Scotland.

“It’s a simple message. People should drive sensibly in town centres; they should slow down as the number of hazards increase, and keep a watchful eye out for pedestrians at all times.”

For more information log onto dontriskit.info or check out the Road Safety Scotland Facebook and Twitter (@roadsafetyscot) pages.