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BECKENHAM ACCIDENT PREVENTION COMMITTEE
The following report on the work of the Beckenham Accident
Prevention Committee has been submitted by Mr. J. Bretton, Local
Safety Officer.
'National Road Safety Campaign 1964—'Think Ahead'.
The present campaign with its theme 'Get Fit for the Road' will
continue until the end of March 1964, when it will be replaced on the
1st April with the new campaign, the theme being 'Think Ahead'.
As everyone are road users, the 1964 plans to cover the extension
of training for pedestrians, riders and drivers. The 'Tufty Club' which
started in December 1961, had caught on like wildfire. Interest in the
club was steadily increasing and would show a substantial road safety
dividend year by year.
The Child Safety Service will continue its valuable aids for the
teaching of school children.
There must be further extensions of the National Cycling Proficiency
Scheme, the R.A.C./A.C.U. scheme for learner motor cyclists
and the various driver training schemes.
Experience has shown that the schemes shown above have been
most instrumental in the reduction of road accidents, and in particular
those affecting child cyclists.
The National Road Safety Campaign, designed and organised by
R.o.S.P.A., on behalf of the Ministry of Transport took the form of
one theme for the year which was dubbed 'Road Training Year' and
as shown above, the slogan commencing on the 1st April will be
'Think Ahead'.
The campaign will cover all facets of accident prevention, and in
particular those concerned with Physical fitness, competence of driver,
drink and the necessity of vehicle fitness.
During the campaign and to meet the desires of the many people
concerned with Road Safety, certain parts of the campaign year will be
devoted to a pin-point event, covering lights on vehicles, crash helmets,
turning right and many others.
It is hoped by the furtherance of these schemes and ideas, that
1964 will be a year of progress for accident prevention. Safety
consciousness daily becomes fashionable, with the result that the accent
on training becomes more pronounced.
Cycling Proficiency
Nowadays, cycling by young people plays a tremendously important
part in their development as proficient road users for the futureMany
casualties on the highway are caused by ignorance of road laws,
incorrect or slip-shod signalling, lack of understanding of the machines
being driven, or just plain thoughtlessness. Expert roadmanship calls
for a variety of skills that can be learned under the National Cycling
Proficiency Scheme.
From April 1963 to date, approximately 722 children from various
schools within the Borough, have been trained and tested for their
certificate and badge.
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