05-11-07 South East Pilot wins Prince Michael International Road Safety Award
VOSA (Vehicle and Operator Services Agency) and the Highways agency (HA) have scooped a prestigious Prince Michael International Road Safety Award for the South East Pilot. The ceremony took place in Ashford, Kent and was presented to VOSA and the HA by Adrian Walsh, director of the Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards. The award recognises achievement and innovation in order to improve road safety across the world.
Accepting the award on behalf of VOSA, Director of Intelligence and Targeting Janice James said: “We are extremely proud to have won this award and it is no less than our staff, and those at the Highways Agency, deserve after all the effort they have put into making this initiative such a success. I can assure you that this is just the beginning and we will continue working hard to make the road network a safer place.”
Regional Divisional Director John Aspinall, who accepted the award on behalf of the HA, added: “Our staff are delighted to have won this award. It is a clear example of the benefits of good partnership working and our staff are very proud of the outcome; a safer and more reliable strategic road network in the south east.”
The South East Pilot will now be put forward along with the other category winners to compete for the overall premier award, the winner of which will be announced in December.
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NOTES TO EDITOR:
The South East Pilot operates via three main strands:
Increased enforcement levels in order to catch the non-compliant
A communication and education campaign directed at the drivers on international journeys
A ‘side swipe’ trial to reduce the problem of blind spots that are prevalent in left hand drive vehicles
VOSA (Vehicle and Operator Services Agency) is responsible for:
Processing applications for licences to operate lorries and buses and registering bus services
Operating and administering testing schemes for all vehicles, including the supervision of the MOT testing scheme
Enforcing the law on vehicles to ensure that they comply with legal standards and regulations
Enforcing drivers' hours and licensing requirements
Supporting Traffic Commissioners to help them make informed decisions on operator licensing, vocational drivers and bus registration requirements
Providing training and advice for commercial operators
Investigating vehicle accidents, defects and recalls
For media enquiries about VOSA, please contact:
Zita Easton on 0117 954 2561 or Luke Bigwood on 0117 954 3208 or e-mail press@vosa.gov.uk
Highways Agency is responsible for
The Highways Agency is an executive agency of the Department for Transport. It manages, maintains and improves England’s motorways and trunk roads on behalf of the Secretary of State.
The Highways Agency traffic information website is at:
www.highways.gov.uk/trafficinfo
For real-time traffic information, the Highways Agency 24-hour voice activated telephone service is on 08700 660 115. (Calls from BT landlines to 0870 numbers will cost no more than 8p per minute; mobile calls usually cost more).
For general information about the Highways Agency and its work, visit the Highways Agency website www.highways.gov.uk , or telephone the Highways Agency information line on 08457 50 40 30 at any time. (Calls to 0845 numbers cost no more than 3p/min from BT residential landlines. Call charges from other and mobile networks may vary.)
Contact details:
For more information about the Highways Agency, please contact Stuart Thompson on 0788 1500 866 or email stuart.thompson@highways.gsi.gov.uk
Out of hours the Highways Agency Duty Press Officer can be contacted by phoning 020 7081 7443.
Page last updated: 05/11/2007