Road safety event to be held in Poole
Dorset Police will be hosting a major road safety event in Poole to promote how to stay safe on the road network.
The event, which is led by the Force’s Road Casualty Reduction Team, will be held at the Dolphin Shopping Centre on Saturday 11 February 2023 from 9am until 3pm. It aims to engage with all types of road users across multiple zones within the centre, with interactive stands and exhibitions from numerous organisations, groups, charities and policing teams.
Children under the age of 10 will be able to watch a free road safety magic show at 11.30am, 12.30pm and 1.30pm in ‘Gather’ with parents receiving information on the correct fitting of child car seats. Teenagers and adults can test their reaction times on our reaction wall as well as try out a racing simulator.
Officers from Dorset’s Roads Policing and Interceptor Teams will be attending, where you can ask questions and have a photo on a police bike and check out the modified Police Ford RS vehicle, which continues to publicise safe and legal vehicle modifications, in a partnership with Sergeant Owen Messenger and the GCM TikTok channel to its 820k followers.
South Western Ambulance Service will be on hand to offer CPR training to enable you to respond quickly if you’re at a collision and a child or adult isn’t breathing.
You’ll be able to see how a speed camera van works as well as learn more about our Community Speed Watch initiative, where local groups are empowered to monitor speeding in their communities.
Information leaflets will be available along with a quiz to complete while moving around the stands, with a road safety prize available for each participant.
Also across the centre, there will be stands from KwikFit with an interactive tyre activity, the British Horse Society, Dorset Air Ambulance, eye sight checks for older drivers with BCP Council and Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue delivering road safety interactive experiences too.
Hot Radio will be broadcasting live throughout the day, sharing information and having a go at the interactive activities on offer.
Laressa Robinson, Road Safety Education Operations Manager at Dorset Police, said: “This will be the second time we’ve held such a large scale event focused solely around road safety and we’re keen to build on the success of the previous event, which saw thousands of people engage with a huge variety of activities on offer across the centre throughout the day.
“While the number of casualties on our roads is reducing, sadly around 250 to 300 people are killed or seriously injured on Dorset roads each year, therefore it is vital we continue to educate the public about what they can do to reduce their risk on the road.
“Road safety is everyone’s responsibility and we hope to welcome as many people as possible to the event on Saturday from 9am at the Dolphin Centre in Poole.”
Police and Crime Commissioner David Sidwick said: “Events such as these are really important - they engage directly with a wide variety of road users and promote practical ways to stay safe.
“Sadly, the numbers of those who are killed or seriously injured on Dorset’s roads is still too high and I am acutely aware that behind each ‘incident’ is a grieving family or someone who faces life changing injuries.
I would encourage as many people as possible to go along to the event and learn from more about road safety from the experts.”
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