Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner (DPCC), Ian Dalgarno attended the Roads Safety Summit last week.

The event, organised by Lincolnshire’s PCC Marc Jones, showcased innovations from around the region that are being used to cut the number of road accidents.

Mr Jones believes that the East of England and East Midlands Road Safety Summit offers an opportunity to share best practice and identify ideas that can be implemented to tackle road safety.

Mr Dalgarno, a speaker at the event, said: “The impact of collisions and crashes which result in fatalities and serious injuries on our roads is unacceptable and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC), took this opportunity to highlight the partnership working we are delivering within Bedfordshire to keep our young and new drivers safe, and give them the skills needed to cope with modern motoring”.

Other speakers included Richard Holden MP, Minister for Roads and Local Transport, road safety experts and PCCs from across the East of England and East Midlands.

Delegates heard from speakers from the Southwest and Cambridgeshire about their introduction of Vision Zero, a strategy and set of principles that work from the point of view that no road death is inevitable and that we should strive to see everyone arrive home safely from their journey.

Mr Jones said: “In Lincolnshire over the last few years we have made encouraging steps forward in our bid to keep our roads safe – however the number of tragic incidents on our roads has remained too high and we must do more.

“The innovations introduced as a result of the previous road safety summit have played a significant part in making our roads safer for us all.

“Yet the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads still amounts shockingly to more than one a day – each figure representing a family torn apart by tragedy.

“We should never accept needless and pointless deaths on our roads, and I will continue to seek the most effective ways to keep our road users safe and this event represents an excellent opportunity to learn from others.”

The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner have recently recruited for a Roads Safety Manager to reinforce their commitment to safety on the road in Bedfordshire.  This links directly to the Police and Crime Plan under Priority 3 – Tackling the causes of crime and breaking the cycle of re-offending.

Dan Vajzovic, Chair of Roads Safety Partnership said “Road safety is an integral part of community safety and of significant importance to the people who live in, work, and visit Bedfordshire.

“Road casualties devastate families and communities. Collisions also add pressure on the NHS and emergency services.

“I’m proud to be Chair of the Road Safety Partnership. The partners that make up this group are all committed to improving road safety and reduce the number of people harmed on our roads.  The Roads Safety Summit is an excellent opportunity for all partners to come together nationally to innovate and share best practices”.

Bedfordshire Police run Community volunteer watch schemes including Speed Watch – to find out more please email watchschemes@beds.police.uk