Published: Wednesday, 11th June, 2008 12:00
Police drive home Safer Summer message
By Bob Lovik
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Police officers will be out and about to ensure drivers stick to the rules of the road.
Pic by: David Robertson
CLACKMANNANSHIRE police have brought out their speed guns for the summer to keep Wee County kids safe.
The Advertiser was invited to accompany officers targeting motorists in Alva as part of the Safer Summer initiative aimed at keeping children safe on the roads when the schools break for summer.
Constables Liz Brown and Steph Currie had their speed gun fixed on vehicles on the A91 leading into Alva last Thursday in an effort to spread the word about why motorists need to obey speed limits and road rules.
But targeting motorists is just one part of the campaign. Constables and community wardens have been visiting schools to speak to children about the extra care they need to take when on or near the roads.
Constable Brown, who is leading the campaign for the second year in a row, told the Advertiser, “There will be a lot of police activity in Clackmannanshire over the next month to get the word out. We’ve been talking to the schools to tell kids about bike safety, to wear bright clothing and what not to do.
“This is the second year of the campaign and we are doing even more this year. It made a big difference last summer as there were no fatalities and only one minor injury.”
Constable Currie added, “Motorists can get the wrong impression about why we are out here. They think we are trying to catch them but we’re really trying to educate. We don’t want to give anyone a ticket. We want people to be safe.”
The constables chose the A91 outside Alva because it was a good representation of a speed spot in Clackmannanshire as drivers have a short distance to slow down from 60 mph to 30 mph as they head into the village.
This fact was demonstrated when cars saw the officers and braked suddenly, causing their front ends to dip.
Constable Currie waved a car over to the curb to give a warning to a motorist doing well over 30 in the speed zone. After a quick chat about the need to be even more vigilant on the roads with schools ending soon, the motorist was on their way.
Constable Brown gave the Advertiser another reason the Alva spot was chosen.
She said, “With the new Alva Academy coming there will be a lot more school children around here. If we do this now people will remember and our presence today serves as a deterrent.”
Traffic police won’t be just looking for speeding motorists during the Safer Summer campaign. They’ll also be on the look out for drivers using their mobiles, those not wearing a seatbelt and drink drivers.
Constable Brown said the increased police presence has been noticed by the public.
She said, “I’ve had people coming up to me on the street saying how good it is to see us out. The public and the school teachers have really noticed the difference.
“We really want this to work. We don’t want to see offences, we want to raise awareness and see people adhering to what we are asking them to do.”
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