With every edition the Highway Code gets bigger. The latest edition recently published, has swelled to 133 pages. The Safe Speed campaign says that this 'bloat' is causing the essential safety messages to get lost and has produced their own version of the Highway Code in just 100 words. Safe Speed founder Paul Smith explained: "We're not seriously suggesting that the official Highway Code should be replaced with just 100 words of advice to drivers, but the reason we have done this is deadly serious. We need to point out to Department for Transport that they have lost sight of the essential foundations of road safety, and their new Highway Code further loses sight ofthese foundations in a morass of rules.""You cannot replace skilled human judgement with a rule book - however big it is- but that's exactly what Department for Transport is trying to do."
"Our Highway Code even includes things that the official version does not. For a start it reminds people that road use can be enjoyable. Without that enjoyment we wouldn't have the interest to develop the skills that safe use of the roads requires.""Another problem is that the Highway Code tells us what to do, but not how todecide when it is safe. We need to recognise danger and develop our skills for that.""We hope that these founding principles will help road users everywhere - not just drivers - to focus on what's important and stay out of trouble.""Some of the statements may not be immediately obvious to inexperienced road users, but all the common crash causes are covered. When we get it right we don't crash - but in order to get it right we need the right beliefs, the right skills and the right attitude. When things go wrong - think back to your lastincident - and you'll probably be able to recognise the cause of the incident in those 100 words. Did you fail to spot the danger? Did you take a risk knowingly? Were you unfit through tiredness, drink or drugs?""Use this code, learn from your mistakes and use the roads as safely as you possibly can. It's enjoyable to do so."<ends>
Notes for editors=================Safe Speed's "Highway Code in 100 words" is copyright but a free licence isgranted for any use in any medium PROVIDED THAT the origin is acknowledged.PR546
