Tandridge Buzz

Surrey County Council has hailed the impact of its safer driving campaign, Drive SMART, as new statistics revealed the number of deaths of Surrey’s roads has fallen.

Road deaths fell from 22 in the first eight months of 2010 to 13 in the same period this year. For 2010 as a whole, the number of road deaths in the county fell from 41 in 2009 to 32.

The latest statistics come as Surrey County Council and Surrey Police’s Drive SMART campaign reaches the two-year milestone. Drive SMART was launched in September 2009 after county residents rated anti-social driving as a major concern.

“Drive SMART is all about making the county’s roads safer and improving the quality of people’s lives,” said Kay Hammond, Surrey County Council’s cabinet member for community safety.

“Over the past two years, county council road safety experts and police officers have worked hard to persuade people to drive more considerately and while many factors affect road deaths, we can be sure that Drive SMART has played a role in helping save people’s lives in Surrey.”

Superintendent Sharon Bush, of Surrey Police, said: “Driver behaviour remains one of the biggest public concerns in Surrey with anti-social driving consistently being put forward as a neighbourhood policing priority at our regular police panel meetings.

“The Drive SMART campaign was launched two years ago with an emphasis on changing bad driving habits in the long term, not just handing out tickets and fines.

“The statistics speak for themselves but we are not complacent and will continue to work with Surrey County Council to educate motorists on the potential effects of their anti-social driving.”

Local residents and police have been targeting drivers who use Tandridge Lane in Lingfield as a “rat run” in rush hour to avoid the A22.

Volunteers have been helping police monitor speeds on tandridge Lane at different times of the day and at different spots over the past two weeks.

The Speedwatch volunteers have been ensuring motorists stick to the speed limit and are not driving in an anti-social way.

“We have carried out several of these road-side operations and do tend to find people breaking the law,” said Tandridge casualty reduction officer PC Moira Cocks.

“It also gives us the opportunity to educate drivers and remind them of the rules of the road. Getting tough on anti-social drivers is a priority for Surrey Police and I know it is a big concern for the local community.”

She added: “It is important that we provide a visible presence in combating anti social driving and that our communities continue to have confidence in our commitment to ensuring Surrey’s roads are as safe as possible it is encouraging that the community in Lingfield are prepared to get fully involved in the Speedwatch campaign.”

Two schools also recently took part in the Speedwatch scheme — St Stephen’s Primary School in South Godstone and Hamsey Green Junior School — where children asked drivers why they were speeding near their school.

The programme is part of the overall £1m Drive SMART campaign launched last year.

Surrey Police and Firebrigade were on hand to advise shoppers on safer driving at Tesco in Caterham-on-the-hill last week (8-9 July).

The Drive SMART and Driven to Distraction campaigns, launched in 2009 by Tandridge Council and backed by £1m worth of funding, provide advice on road safety issues.

The two emergency services spent two days answering questions on a range of driving behaviours that negatively affect the lives of other road users or local residents.

These include tailgating, bad or inconsiderate parking, using a handheld mobile phone at the wheel, speeding, drink and drug driving, not wearing a seatbelt and generally thoughtless or reckless driving.

“Drive SMART is a great scheme which gives local residents and businesses a chance to take charge of their local roads,” said casualty reduction officer PC Moira Cocks.

“The scheme is about educating drivers around the dangers of speeding and staying alert when driving. The public can rest assured we will not shy away from taking action against repeat offenders. Getting tough on speeding motorists is a priority for Surrey Police and I know it is a big concern for the local community.”