September/October Issue 63 - Flipbook - Page 29
MOVE OVER: UK
“We haven’t been able to do as
much as we would have liked in
the past 12 months, but now were
are hoping to really kick on and
keep pushing for more awareness
and publicity.
“We want to ensure that the
message goes beyond the
breakdown recovery industry.
“Within the industry, we are well
aware of the dangers of working
at the roadside, and sadly over
the years we have seen a number
of fellow workers injured or killed
whilst attending to vehicles.
“We want the message to reach
the wider public and regular road
users and drivers, to convey to
them just how serious this issue
is.”
While SDMO’s primary aim is
to force a change in the law and
alterations to the Highway Code,
the short-term aim of the campaign
in the meantime is simple.
“Our short-term aim is very simple,
it is to raise awareness in any way
that we can, and if that results in
one motorist reading about SDMO
and paying more attention the
next time that they are confronted
with the issue, then that will make
our time and effort worthwhile.”
We will be reaching out to more
road safety charities this year, to
see whether they may be able to
assist us in realising our goals.”
As Anstee and his fellow volunteers
continue to work towards their
aims, his message to all drivers is
clear.
“One of the things we want to
reiterate to people is that these
situations can affect anyone.
Nobody expects to breakdown
when they get in the car in the
morning, and anybody can find
themselves stranded on the
roadside.
“There are two sides to this, we
need drivers to be knowledgeable
on what to do and to take care
when driving, but equally motorists
need to know what steps to take if
they find themselves stranded.”
“We are very grateful to have a
number of breakdown providers
on board, including Call Assist, LV
Brittannia, Allianz Global Partners
and a number of other industry
supporters. That is great news,
but we need the transport industry
to get involved.
“Transport and haulage companies
are some of the biggest users of
our roads, and while many firms
are giving their drivers training
on this subject, they could be
doing more. We need the support
of fleet owners and haulage
companies, who we feel can
play a pivotal role in making a
difference on what is a huge issue
that doesn’t discriminate and can
affect anybody. We encourage
fleet operators to encourage this
into their own training.”
Such is the prominence of the
issue that, even during the process
of writing this article, another
recovery operator has been struck
at the roadside. A recovery worker
was hit while working at the
roadside on a dual carriageway in
Coventry last week and, while he
is in a stable condition, his injuries
are thought to be potentially lifechanging.
If there are any haulage companies
out there who would like to adopt
the SDMO campaign, we would be
very interested in advertising on
the back of commercial vehicles
and would relish the opportunity
to discuss it further.
Slow Down Move Over UK
E: info@slowdownmoveover.uk
W: www.slowdownmoveover.uk
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