Shropshire Council

Road safety campaigns

The road safety team aims to promote road safety to all road users. Below is some advice and facts about road safety and you can find out more on the Gov.uk website using the links on this page.

Vehicle checks

Is your vehicle safely equipped to drive?

  • Tyre tread
  • Tyre pressure
  • Fuel
  • Oil
  • Water
  • Lights and you!

Country roads

The facts:

  • On average, three people die each day on country roads.
  • 60% of all fatalities in Great Britain occurred on rural roads in 2018.
  • The number of people killed on rural roads was more than 10 times higher than on motorways in Great Britain in 2017.
  • 10,729 people were killed or seriously injured in accidents reported to the police on rural roads in Great Britain in 2017.

Mobile phones

It's illegal to use a hand-held mobile phone or similar device while driving. The penalty is £200 and six penalty points. This applies even if you’re stopped at traffic lights or queuing in traffic.

If you get just 6 points in the first two years after passing your test, you will lose your licence.

Child car seats

Legally, you must use the correct car seat for your child. In the past, most children in cars have only had to be in an ‘appropriate restraint if available'. This is no longer the case

Using an adult seat belt, alone, before a child is sufficiently developed may put them at a higher risk of internal injury should the car they are travelling in be forced to stop quickly, or become involved in a collision, especially if the belt is sitting too high across the stomach.

In vehicles where seat belts are fitted, children three years to 135cms in height (4ft 5”) must travel in the appropriate car or booster seat, or on a booster cushion. Children of 12 years and above must use the seat belt, if available.

Rear-facing baby seats must never be used in a front seat with an active frontal airbag. This is because the restraint will be too close to the dashboard, and in an accident the expanding airbag is liable to cause serious or fatal injury to the child.