The latest Vision Zero day took place on Thursday, 28 March, in multiple locations across the district, including Dunmow, the Rodings and Stansted.
The engagement team spoke to hundreds of shoppers in Tesco about Vision Zero and were pleased to hear huge support for the aspiration.
Essex Police stopped 18 drivers for not wearing seatbelts, 14 drivers for using their mobile phones and one for careless driving. They also arrested one driver on suspicion of drug-driving.
Twenty people were caught speeding by the little Hallingbury Community Speed Watch group, and seven drivers were spoken to by the children involved with School Speed Watch.
The School Speed Watch sessions involve children from six priority towns in Essex learning about the dangers of speeding drivers, by allowing them, with a Road Safety and Police Officer, to educate offenders about the dangers and consequences of speeding near to their school.
The initiative is a powerful and emotive way to engage with speeding road users. Being asked ‘how would you feel if you ran me over’ by a 10-year-old is a conversation that will stay with them and hopefully deter them from speeding in the future.
Claire Stone, Road Safety Technician from the Safer Essex Roads Partnership, said: “As part of the Safer Essex Roads Partnership, our absolute priority is road safety – we’re here to educate the drivers that speeding kills.
“One of the speeders spoken to by the children was a young motorcyclist who had received a letter about his speeding that morning. He was deeply moved by the conversation with the Year 5 children, and I believe their words will stay with him. Hopefully, this intervention will change his behaviour.
“The whole SERP team received a lot of praise from the local community throughout their day and I’d like to thank everyone for their support for our work and the aspiration of Vision Zero.”
SERP undertake around 40 Vision Zero days across Essex, per year, with the aim to educate and enforce, with Vision Zero in mind.