Road Safety Week: MEA backs ‘safe vehicles save lives’ message
Thursday 13 November 2025
Mid and East Antrim Policing and Community Partnership (PCSP) is working with the PSNI and NI Fire & Rescue Service to encourage everyone to play their part in improving road safety.
It comes as Road Safety Week, organised by road safety charity Brake and held this year from 16 to 22 November, focuses on the message that “safe vehicles save lives”.
According to Brake, there has been no significant reduction in the numbers of road-related deaths and serious injuries for more than a decade.
Every year, more than 1,700 people die on UK roads, while another 30,000 suffer serious, life-changing injuries.
In 2024, there were 69 fatalities in road traffic collisions in Northern Ireland – the third highest number of road deaths since 2015 – and a further 939 people were seriously injured.
Forty-eight of those who died were killed in crashes on rural roads.
In 2025 to date, there have been 44 fatalities in road traffic collisions – two of them in the Mid and East Antrim area.
Chair of Mid and East Antrim PCSP, Councillor Lauren Gray, said: “One death on our roads is one too many, when every life lost causes untold grief for families and friends.
“Road Safety Week is so important to remind everyone of what is at stake when we get behind the wheel – we all have a duty to do our utmost to keep each other safe, starting with ensuring our vehicles are safe to be on the road.
“It is particularly important as we head into winter, that we make sure lights and brakes are in full working order and that we are mindful of road conditions when we watch our speed.
“Speed limits should be just that, a limit, not a target.”
Safe vehicles are a crucial aspect of making roads safer, from preventing crashes in the first place, to protecting people if the worst should happen.
MEA PCSP is reinforcing Road Safety Week’s message this year about helping everyone understand why it is so important to ensure a vehicle is roadworthy before every journey.
Many vehicles now have enhanced technology designed with safety in mind, from automated driver assistance systems that keep them in the right lane and below speed limits and detect hazards, to event data recorders that record what happens in a crash and notify emergency services immediately.
Such features can help keep us all safer – but only if we keep things like intelligent speed assistance switched on.
PSNI Chief Inspector Siobhan Watt said: "As drivers, it's really important to ensure our vehicles are roadworthy before every journey. That means conducting checks on a regular basis and doing all we can to make our journeys as safe as possible.
“Last year, there were 69 deaths on roads across Northern Ireland. The impact is immeasurable, causing unimaginable heartache to loved ones, changing lives in an instant.
"We urge drivers to do everything they can to help reduce collisions and deaths on our roads - we all have a part to play in keeping everyone safe."
NIFRS Station Commander Johnston Birrell said: “Firefighters, alongside our emergency service colleagues, witness first-hand the devastation cause by road traffic collisions.
“In 2024, firefighters attended 744 road traffic collisions and rescued 139 people who were trapped inside their vehicle.
“Road traffic collisions can be prevented and we must all do our part by slowing down, staying alert, and respecting other road users. Now that the darker nights are here, leave extra time for your journey and ensure that your vehicle is roadworthy by checking your tyres, brakes and lights regularly.”
Vice Chair of Mid and East Antrim PCSP, Independent Member Sharon Maxwell, said: “Partnership working continues to be key for Mid and East Antrim PCSP.
“That partnership approach is particularly important when it comes to facilitating and resourcing the different driver education initiatives and work we carry out around road safety with our local schools, statutory and community partners.”
As part of its commitment to improving road safety, Mid and East Antrim PCSP has developed a number of road safety initiatives, including access to Kill Your Speed signage and driver education programmes such as the New Driver Education Programme for Sixth Formers, Speed Indicator Device deployments, and the Road Safety Quiz for primary school pupils.
Throughout Road Safety Week, the Brake website will be sharing the stories of people whose lives have been devastated by road crashes.
The charity will also be showcasing the work of its National Road Victim Service, which provides expert emotional and practical support to thousands of road victims’ families.
For more information about PCSP initiatives, contact the MEA PCSP at E: pcsp@midandeastantrim.gov.uk or follow them on Facebook.