TTC supports a new road safety partnership initiative ‘Vision Zero South West ’ following 48 deaths and nearly 650 serious injuries on the roads of Devon and Cornwall in 2021. Devon & Cornwall Police have led on a significant investment in resource and activity since implementing the strategy.
Vision Zero South West is a vital casualty prevention partnership initiative which, coordinating activity around road networks, road users and vehicles, aims to significantly reduce deaths and serious injuries on local roads and eventually lower fatal collisions to zero by the year 2040.
The initiative is centred around reducing five common risks when driving, named within the industry as the ‘Fatal Five.’ These include excessive speed, careless driving, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, driver distractions, and finally, not wearing a seatbelt. Devon & Cornwall Police are working closely with TTC to ensure driver safety, increased knowledge and subsequent behavioural change becomes a priority.
Adrian Leisk, Head of Road Safety for Devon & Cornwall Police commented “By significantly increasing our enforcement posture, we have seen 83,000 speed awareness courses completed with TTC in 2022, that’s a 73% increase. We would not have been able to establish such a step-change without this strong partnership with TTC.”
With excess speed contributing to nearly 20% of crashes that result in serious injury, and around 30% of collisions resulting in fatality, Devon & Cornwall Police have introduced a new tactic to lower the incidents of dangerous driving and excess speed on their 13,700-mile road network, supported by TTC.
TTC offers its speed awareness courses for those caught speeding where points or a fine weren’t necessary, and twinned with Vision Zero, it aims to educate road users to improve safety.
Alongside Vision Zero, Devon & Cornwall Police have also introduced an initiative named ‘Operation Snap’, allowing the public to upload dashcam footage of dangerous or careless driving, giving the police the necessary evidence to prosecute an offending driver who would have otherwise avoided detection.
Sharon Haynes, Director Police and Court Referred at TTC Group said “We are working closely with the Devon & Cornwall Police force to create a safer road network for everyone. It is vital to provide as much driver training as possible, especially in an area with an older demographic where residents may not have had the benefit of recent training.”
