STAFF from South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) are urging road users to keep their speed down as part of Road Safety Week.

Running from November 20 – Novmeber 26, the national campaign aims to promote safer road use.

On average five people every day across the South-Central region are killed or seriously injured on our roads.

Mark Ainsworth, director of operations for SCAS NHS Foundation Trust, said: “My colleagues and I have seen far too many times at first hand the devastating impact road traffic collisions can have on the individuals involved and their families.

"Traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for people aged 15-24 in our region and almost a quarter of all fatal road traffic collisions involve a driver or rider breaking the speed limit or travelling too fast for the road conditions. Put simply, by slowing down we could save lives and stop hundreds of people being seriously injured on our roads.”

Travelling at higher speeds increases the distance it takes to stop in an emergency – both in terms of thinking and braking time – which increases the severity of any crash, the risk of loss of life and the extent of serious injury. A pedestrian hit at 30mph has a one in five chance of being killed; this rises significantly to a one in three chance if they are hit at 35mph.

The small increase in speed has a significant impact on the severity of their injuries. If the pedestrian stepped out on to the road three car lengths in front of a vehicle travelling at

35mph, the injuries they would sustain from the impact would be the equivalent to falling from the fourth floor of a building.

SCAS staff are enthusiastically joining thousands of organisations, schools and community groups backing the national Speed Down, Save Lives campaign for Road Safety Week,

helping to raise awareness about the dangers of driving too fast.

For more information about the campaign visit scas.nhs.uk.