North Roads Safety Group launch the next phase of their driver to make our roads safer

21st February 2013

Driving home the safer roads educational message and building on the success of their previous campaigns, NOSDAT – North Of Scotland Driver Awareness Team, set up by local MSP David Stewart, will launch their next campaign ‘ Switch onto Safer Roads’ on Monday 25 February 2013.

Previously the Group set up and ran the ‘Sensible Driving – Always Arriving’ Deadly Mates campaign, after the tragic deaths of two local Inverness teenagers in a road collision in the city. This award winning campaign pushed for the introduction of a graduated licence scheme a scheme which is very much still on the cards. The Group recently supported local HGV driver Conor Mckenna and his campaign for a 50mph speed limit for HGV’s to help reduce frustration to other road users, with drivers on the A9 being at the fore front of of their thoughts.

This latest campaign is designed to encourage drivers to switch on their dipped headlights in poor visibility. New cars on the road, registered after 1 February 2011, come with daytime L.E.D. running lights which help with the visibility of such vehicles. In February 2012 HGV’s and buses new on the road also come fitted with the L.E.D. running lights.

David Stewart said “ Our Group are always looking at ways we can make our roads safer and in particular we want to use education as the medium to get our messages across. To date we have been very fortunate to have the support of local businesses and the media to help us do this. This latest campaign is designed to do something about the number of drivers who fail to display dipped headlights in poor visibility. These lights should be displayed when driving conditions are poor, such as whilst driving in rain, snow, mist or fog.
You do not have to travel far from home or work to see the number of drivers who just don’t get it. These drivers should remember that it is not only about using your lights to see, but about using your lights to be seen by all other road users, including and in particular pedestrians. I have to thank Rosie Watters for her brilliant graphic which in itself makes the point succinctly”

Rosie Waters said “ I really enjoyed my time working in the offices of David Stewart MSP and Rhoda Grant MSP and was delighted to be given the opportunity to be so ‘hands on’. I was involved in a few of the community campaigns run by the office of the MSPs and was delighted that they liked some of the graphics I produced for some of their on going campaigns. My brief for this campaign was ‘produce a graphic which emphasised the need for vehicle drivers to switch on their dipped headlights at times of poor visibility’. I am chuffed to bits that my graphic will be seen on the back of a double decker bus and I hope that the message will be picked up by other drivers”

Russell Henderson, Engineering Director with Stagecoach Bus said “ We have been involved with NOSDAT since early 2010 and continue to support their educational campaigns towards making our roads safer. Stagecoach Bus are heavily involved in supporting similar road safety campaigns across the country. The aims of this Group are simple really and to be honest it is just common sense. This particular campaign spells it out to drivers, if the weather is poor or visibility is poor, make sure your vehicle can be seen by other road users. See and be seen”