Chief Fire Officer Damian Smith is pictured above.
29 October 2008
Drivers are being urged to take extra care following a series of collisions this morning.
Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service was called to eight crashes between 12.45am and 8.25am, involving more than 15 people. One claimed the life of a lorry driver and at least three people have been injured.
Chief Fire Officer Damian Smith said: “Whilst it is too early to be certain about the causes – though it can be assumed the weather was a contributory factor – this has clearly been a terrible morning on the roads.
“We have had the equivalent of nearly a week's serious collisions in the space of eight hours.
“Although we have a statutory duty to provide an emergency response to road traffic collisions, Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service is not the lead agency for road safety. However, we are playing an increasing role alongside the police, highways authorities, council road safety teams and the Thames Valley Safer Roads Partnership to encourage safe driving.
“The fire and rescue service is responding to a growing number of road traffic collisions – incidents which by their very nature lead to entrapment, serious injury or in the worst cases death.
“Our firefighters see the most awful and challenging of incidents. They are, however, spared the shock and despair of the families and friends. That should not be wished upon anyone.”
He offered the following safety advice:
- Adjust your driving in light of the prevailing weather conditions and traffic volumes.
- Create extra time to complete a journey and ensure the drive can be more relaxed – even when unexpected delays occur.
- Find a safe place to park to transmit or receive calls or text messages if the vehicle you are driving does not have hands-free equipment. It is illegal to do otherwise.
- As a passenger, point out hazards of which the driver may be unaware.
In the most recent year for which data is available – 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007 – there were 2,527 road traffic collisions recorded in Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes by Thames Valley Police. They led to 46 deaths, 412 serious injuries and 3,284 minor injuries. (Source: Buckinghamshire & Milton Keynes Fire Authority draft Integrated Risk Management Plan 2009-12, page 13).
Statistics also show that about half of all road traffic collisions leading to people being killed or injured are happening on rural roads, compared with about 40 per cent on urban roads and 10 per cent on motorways. (Source: Buckinghamshire & Milton Keynes Fire Authority draft Integrated Risk Management Plan 2009-12, page 34).