The City of London Corporation’s Road Danger Reduction team have today published four new road etiquette principles for travelling in the Square Mile which could help save lives.

Ahead of Road Safety Week (20-26 November), the City of London Corporation urges all road users to keep in mind that this is one of the busiest places in the whole country to travel around.

Between 2012 and 2016, there were 261 ‘killed or seriously injured’ (KSI) collisions, 11 of which were fatal. Someone’s failure to look properly or careless, reckless or hurried behaviour were contributing factors in 172 (or just under two in three) of these collisions.

The principles published today include:

Look around – keep your eyes open and focus on what’s around you.

Be aware – the City of London’s a busy place, so always expect the unexpected.

Be considerate – remember other road users are people too.

Less haste – take an extra second to think about what you’re doing and any potential hazards.

Victoria Lebrec, a cyclist who lost her leg in a collision in 2014 and was saved thanks to pioneering treatment by London’s Air Ambulance, believes that following these four practical steps could help prevent similar tragedies in the Square Mile.

Victoria said:

“It is easy to think 'that would never happen to me’, but all it takes is for someone to make one mistake – be they a cyclist, a pedestrian or a driver – and a life can be taken. 

“I certainly think the roads would be safer if everyone followed the new road etiquette principles.

“The City of London is home to some of the busiest roads in the country and with that comes a responsibility for all of us to travel considerately and safely.”

Alison Gowman, City of London Corporation representative on the London Road Safety Council and Chair of the Active City Network, said:

 "The City of London is home to over 480,000 workers and 9,000 residents, one of London’s busiest areas, yet the numbers of those killed or seriously injured in the Square Mile are among the lowest in the capital.

“This is in part due to a dedicated Road Danger Reduction team, a City-wide 20-mile an hour speed limit, free online resources, workshops and Dr Bike clinics, as well as safety schemes such as at Bank junction and the Aldgate Gyratory for our road users.

“But we can always do more.

“The City Corporation continues to tirelessly campaign for even safer streets because the effect of a collision reverberates around a community.

“Road safety is everybody’s responsibility. These four principles are easy for all road users to keep in mind, and so we appeal to the public to look around, be aware, be considerate and act with less haste.”

Inspector Sarah Smallwood from Transport and Highways Operations Group at the City of London Police said:

“The City of London Police work hard to create a safe environment for all road users and takes swift action on those disobeying the law.

It is important that we all take preventative steps to protect ourselves and others to stop any road traffic collisions happening in the first place.”

Road Safety Week is the UK’s flagship event to promote safer road use, coordinated annually by the charity Brake and involving thousands of schools, communities and organisations across the country. Road Safety Week 2017 takes place 20-26 November.