6th August 2010

Tough times for road safety – we need to fight back!

The recent heavy funding cuts for road safety are starting to take effect. Although the full picture is still not clear, of the 37 road safety partnerships in England, we already know of 17 that are at least ‘reviewing’ their use of speed cameras, if not scrapping some or all of them. Yesterday it was announced that in Wiltshire and Swindon the Road Safety Partnership itself is being closed down. This means that in this area, as well as cameras being turned off, other functions being delivered by the partnership will also cease, including road safety education in schools, mobile phone and seatbelt campaigns.

Brake’s fight back through the media – myth busting!

Brake has been working tirelessly with the help of our volunteers these past few weeks to dispel the myths around speed cameras that are being put forward in the media:

What you can do!

We need your help to get the  positive message out about speed cameras, and to challenge local and central Government about funding cuts and cameras being withdrawn. You can help by:

1.Downloading this press release, filling in the blanks and sending it to your local paper, local radio stations and regional TV news to show your support for speed cameras and bust some speed camera myths. It’s been written for bereaved volunteers, but if you have been injured or not directly affected by a crash, you can of course amend the press release as necessary. Be prepared to do interviews if you decide to do this! Please also let us know what you are up to by sending a copy of your release toebooth@brake.org.uk

2.Organising a protest in your local area and getting the media to come along. If you are going to do this then let us know in advance and we might be able to provide support by helping with media work or sending Brake’s mascot Zak the Zebra along. Email details to Ellen at ebooth@brake.org.uk

3.Writing a strongly worded letter to your local papers voicing your concerns about speed cameras being under threat or turned off in your area, and what this would mean to the safety of the streets where you and your family live.

4.Writing to your County or City Council Chief Executive and/or Government ministers, demanding that speed cameras and road safety are protected from cuts that would mean more death on the roads. Use our example letter, or write your own. Visit your council’s website to get their email or postal address; you can write to the Road Safety Minister or Secretary of State for Transport at the Department for Transport, Great Minster House, 76 Marsham Street, London SW1P 4DR.

5.Writing to your MP, demanding that they challenge the Government on the detrimental effect that road safety funding cuts are having on public safety. Remember: road crashes are the biggest killer of young people, and the second biggest killer of children – they must not be sacrificed!

Road Safety Week 22-28 November 2010

This year the theme is Kids Say Slow Down! In light of recent developments on speed cameras, it is all the more urgent this year that everyone comes together to show their support for Road Safety Week and for stopping speeding drivers in their communities. Visit www.roadsafetyweek.org and order your communities pack now – get planning for a big event where you can showcase your community’s passion for safer streets for everyone.

Rebecca Harris MP wins Parliamentarian of the Month

Rebecca Harris MP for Essex Castle Point has won Brake and Direct Line’s road safety Parliamentarian of the Month for tabling a Private Members’ Bill. The Bill calls on the Secretary of State to conduct an analysis of the costs and benefits of introducing daylight saving time and then act on the results. With enough support from other MPs, we might just get an extra hour of sunlight in the winter months. This would mean that even in deepest darkest winter, it would still be light when children are walking home from school and drivers would stand a much better chance of seeing them. To let us know what good work your MP has been doing, Contact Ellen on 01484 550067 or emailebooth@brake.org.uk

Mountain marathon

Good luck to the 13 people climbing the Yorkshire Three Peaks over the August Bank Holiday to raise vital funds for Brake. All money raised will go to supporting people bereaved or injured in a road crash and campaigning to make our roads safer for everyone. Check out similar events near you. If you want to take part, please contact Lisa on 01484 683294 or email lkendall@brake.org.uk

Charity of the Year

Do you work for a company that nominates a chosen charity to support every year? If so we’d welcome the opportunity to request Brake as their charity to support. There are lots of good reasons to support Brake, and we are at the ready to tell them to anyone and everyone. Contact Lisa on 01484 683294 or email lkendall@brake.org.uk

Waitrose

If you have a Waitrose supermarket near you, pop in and ask that they choose Brake as their store charity to support. Each Waitrose store chooses their own charity to support and the Waitrose in Reading have recently raised £510 for us by having a charity box in their foyer. Thank you to Kathryn for recommending they support Brake!

Thanks for your help to end the carnage and support road crash victims.

The Brake team

23rd July 2010

Brake has been working with ‘Parliamentarian of the Year’ 2009 award winner, Meg Munn MP, to hold a reception in parliament to gather support for action to combat obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) in fleet drivers. OSA reduces the amount of quality sleep a sufferer gets and causes excessive tiredness, making falling asleep at the wheel much more likely. It is a treatable condition, but it often goes unnoticed. Deputy Chief Executive Julie Townsend spoke at the reception, attended by 22 parliamentarians, calling for regular screening tests for commercial drivers. To read her speech, click here.

Parliamentarians were so shocked by what they heard that a group of them were inspired to put forward an Early Day Motion showing their support and calling on the Government to act quickly.

What you can do! Write to your MP asking them to support Early Day Motion number 565 on sleep apnoea.

14,500 kids speak out for Road Safety Week

The school term has ended and the kids have been set free for the summer, but not before thousands of them took the time to talk to us about speed on the roads around their schools and homes. The results of the research are top secret until Road Safety Week 22 – 28 November 2010, when they will form part of our campaign to pressure the Government. Visit www.roadsafetyweek.org to find out what else has been happening in the build up to the big week. Get planning your RSW local event now!

Running for Brake - British 10K

Congratulations to the 19 Brake fundraisers who ran in the British 10K run last Sunday. They are expecting to raise over £3,000 from this single event which will go towards our work supporting the victims of road crashes and campaigning to make roads safer.  Places for the 2011 event are now available so if anybody wants to take up the challenge, now is the time to come forward. Contact Lisa on lkendall@brake.org.uk or 01484 683294.

Thrill seekers wanted!

40 of our wonderful supporters have already pledged to jump out of a plane for Brake this year, and we need another nine to reach our target of 49; one parachute jump for every person killed on the roads each week. Brave volunteers can do their jumps at points across the UK on any weekend of the year (weather dependant!). If you can muster £400 of sponsorship you can jump for free! For more information contact Lisa on lkendall@brake.org.uk or 01484 683294.

Leap of faith!

Well done to magnificently brave Justine Kordula who took part in a bungee jump in memory of her cousin Dean who died in a road crash. Without the enthusiasm of people like Justine, and donations from events like this, Brake wouldn’t be able to continue its work. Every penny raised will go towards Brake's work to prevent death and injury on UK roads and to support people who have been bereaved or injured by a road crash. If you want to bungee jump for Brake, contact Lisa on lkendall@brake.org.uk or 01484 683294.

Calling all unused Collection Tubs!

If you have an unused collection tub sitting at home, please could you return it to us so we can make sure they are sent out where they are needed. Alternatively, if you know of a venue that would have a Brake collection, and you would be collect from it for us, then please let Lisa know. Contact Lisa on 01484 683294 or email lkendall@brake.org.uk

Win a million pennies - £10,000!!!
You can win a Million Pennies (£10,000!!) by buying one of Brake’s raffle tickets. Each ticket costs £25 – you might think that’s a lot, but with a 1 in 800 chance of hitting it rich it’s miles better than the lottery! If you can’t afford a ticket, club together with your friends to buy one and share the winnings! To buy your limited edition ticket or tickets call 01484 559909 or email raffle@brake.org.uk with your credit card details or a request to be invoiced.

Have fun fundraising!

Fundraising outside supermarkets and at retail parks may sound like hard work, but it’s a very lucrative way to raise lots of money for charity and you can have fun doing it if you use your imagination! Why not get a group together and dress up as lollipop people, traffic lights and zebras? If you have some spare time on your hands and would be able to co-ordinate a charity collection for Brake, then we promise that the money you raise will be used to make a difference! Many stores have waiting lists, but you could contact them now and book a date during Road Safety Week 22 – 28 November 2010. We can provide you with collection tubs, information on Brake and other fundraising goodies. You just need to provide the people-power! Contact Lisa on 01484 683294 or email lkendall@brake.org.uk for more information.

Thanks for your help to end the carnage and support road crash victims.

The Brake team

Helpline number: 0845 603 8570

For people bereaved or injured in a road crash, or if you are caring for someone affected in that way, or if you are a professional supporting someone affected in that way (such as a police officer or counsellor). 

14th June 2010

 ‘Keep Speed in Sport’ for World Cup

As we build up to this year’s Road Safety Week 22 – 28 November 2010 and its theme of Kids Say Slow Down, Brake has teamed up with scientists at the transport research agency TRL. It looked at the physics of speed in sport compared with on the road in light of the football World Cup. TRL found that if you hit a child at 27mph you’ll hit them with the force of eight free kicks by a world class footballer. It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to understand the damage that would cause to a child’s head. 27mph is the speed you are still likely to be going at if you are driving at 30mph and a child runs out three car lengths in front of you. With this in mind we are asking everyone to drive at 20mph because at 20mph drivers have a chance of stopping rather than hitting, killing, or seriously maiming a child for life.

Click here to read the full ‘Keep Speed in Sport’ story backed by sporting celebs including ITV World Cup presenter Adrian Chiles.

Click here to order online your FREE Road Safety Week poster and get planning now for that big RSW 2010 event!

11,000 copies of bereavement guide for children given to teachers

‘Helping suddenly bereaved children’, written by Brake’s Chief Executive Mary Williams OBE, is a new guide aimed at teachers, parents and carers of children who suddenly and unexpectedly lose a close family member. The Co-operative funeralcare are generously paying for 11,000 copies of the guide to be donated to teachers across the country. Teachers can contact Karen Taylor on 0161 202 8187 orKarenJane.Taylor2@co-operative.coop for their free copy. The guide accompanies a children’s picture book that carers and parents can read with bereaved children – go to www.amyandtom.org to see the book which can be bought at a low cost from Brake.

Sign petition for lighter winters

Every year the dark winter months make travelling riskier for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers by reducing visibility in the late afternoon. Brake has given its support to a national campaign by a coalition of charities and campaign groups to move the clocks forward by one hour to make it lighter in the evenings. Please go to this website and sign the petition that will be given to David Cameron on 21 June 2010.

HELP NEEDED! Posters for Brake fundraising events

Brake needs to get the word out about the fantastic fun fundraising events that we organise. We need volunteers to put our posters up all around your town – on community notice boards, at the gym and in the staff room – to get people up and active for Brake. If you think you can help, contact Lisa on 01484 683294 or email lkendall@brake.org.uk

HELP NEEDED! for Fleet Safety Forum Awards

Each year Brake hosts an awards evening for fleet professionals to reward their hard work and raise valuable funds for Brake. It’s always a fantastically fun event and raises a great deal of money. This year it’s happening on Thursday 1 July and we are looking for volunteers to give up an evening to help out by selling raffle tickets and encouraging attendees to donate. We’d also love for Zak the Zebra to be in attendance so if you’d be prepared to dress up in our mascot suit this is your opportunity! The event is being held in Kenilworth which is near Warwick so if you live close by and fancy a fun filled evening of fundraising and socialising then contact Caroline on 01484 559909 or email cperry@brake.org.uk

HELP NEEDED! Surveying the public
Brake conducts research into driver attitudes and behaviour through surveying members of the public across the country. This research informs our campaigns and helps us to raise awareness in the media and push the government for change. As a small charity we can’t employ large polling companies to do our research for us, so we rely on our volunteers to take these surveys out to their local high street, to their doctor’s surgery or even to their local motorway service station and get them filled in by a cross section of drivers. Volunteers can take as many or as few surveys as they can manage to get filled in – every survey counts. If you think you can survey the public to help Brake campaign for better road safety then please contact Ellen on 01484 550067 or email ebooth@brake.org.uk

Spend the Night in a Haunted House

Three fantastic opportunities to scare yourself silly! Dare you stay up all night in a Haunted House? Lisa, Brake’s Volunteer Manager, took part in this event last year and she says “it was absolutely brilliant fun and I confess to be very sceptical about things that go bump in the night too!” 

Dates and locations for this spectral fundraising event are:

North East – Jedburgh Jail – Saturday 11 September 2010

West Midlands – Tutbury Castle, Staffs – Friday 8 October 2010

South East – Avenue House, London – Saturday 23 October 2010

Contact Lisa on 01484 683294 or email lkendall@brake.org.uk for more information.

Thanks for your help to end the carnage and support road crash victims.

The Brake team

13th May 2010

Brake is BBC Radio 4’s charity of the week!

Acclaimed children’s author, Jacqueline Wilson, is a passionate Brake supporter who has worked with us for a number of years. Now she has recorded an appeal for BBC Radio 4 listeners to support Brake's work campaigning for road safety and helping people who have been bereaved or seriously injured through a road crash. This week Brake’s appeal is being played throughout the week.

Our appeal is next aired on BBC Radio 4 on Thursday 20th May 2010 at 3.27pm or you can listen online by going to http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00sb9gm

Please tell everyone you know to tune in and support Brake by just listening or by also making a donation to this appeal.

Best wishes,

Ellen Booth
Campaigns officer

Help prevent serious injury and educate the next generation of drivers with Brake, the road safety charity

Shockingly, one in four car drivers killed or seriously injured is under 25, yet just one in fifteen car drivers is in this age group. Are you are passionate about preventing these horrific deaths and serious injuries?

Brake, the road safety charity, is looking for people to help save lives by running 2Young2Die workshops with young people on the dangers of speeding, drink and drug driving and not wearing seat belts. We are particularly keen to hear from you if you have been affected personally by a serious injury or death in a road crash, as you will have an important personal story to tell to young people about the dangers of roads.

We can train you to run 2Young2Die workshops for young people in your community through a FREE one-day course! 2Young2Die is a project coordinated by Brake which trains volunteers to run interactive workshops for young people in schools, colleges and youth organisations across the UK. Using our resources, you can make a difference to young people’s attitudes through hard-hitting real life stories, scenarios, discussion exercises and a range of quick, lively activities.

One of 2Young2Die’s most inspirational volunteers is Nick Bennett, who was seriously injured in a road crash in 2002 when he was just 18. Nick drove into the path of a three tonne lorry while trying to overtake two slow moving cars and suffered injuries to his brain stem. Now in a wheelchair Nick has teamed up with driving instructor Phil Wait to run 2Young2Die workshops with more than 1000 young people in their local community.

To find out more about what it takes to join Nick in becoming a 2Young2Die volunteer, email 2young2die@brake.org.uk, or visit the Road Safety Academy pages on Brake’s website at www.brake.org.uk/academy. We look forward to hearing from you!