Road safety experts share ideas in Hove

Police, fire and council road safety specialists met for a one-day conference in Hove yesterday (Thursday 29 March).

Neil Hopkins, from the Sussex Safer Roads Partnership, said: “Today is an opportunity for our partners to come together to share ideas and discuss how we can do things better in future.

“As a partnership we’ve got funding for the next three years for a programme of education and enforcement.”

He emphasised that the partnership was not just about speed cameras, citing Operation Airwalk which involves Sussex Police working with East Sussex Fire and Rescue crews.

They pull over speeding drivers and others breaking the law for offences like driving without a seatbelt.

Those drivers are given the choice of a fine and penalty points on their driving licence or taking some time to hear first-hand from those who deal with accidents.

Mr Hopkins said that such educational and awareness-raising work was valuable and effective.

He said that one of the aims of the conference, at Hove Town hall, was to streamline the messages to drivers, motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians because time was so precious for most people.

And it offered a chance to find ways to reduce any duplication in the work of the partner organisations, which included the emergency services, NHS, courts, the Highways Agency and Brighton and Hove City Council.

Those attending had the chance to network and one topic of conversation involved trying to work out who could fund road safety projects while facing public spending constraints.