Road safety campaign launched on day of tragedy in Glasgow

Sep 10 2009 By Peter Carroll

A CAMPAIGN to make our roads safer was launched on Tuesday - the same day two women died in traffic accidents an hour apart.

Go Safe Glasgow was launched at the City Chambers on Tuesday morning at 10am to cut accidents and casualties on the roads.

Just minutes before the launch Strathclyde Police confirmed that a woman in her 20s was killed when she was hit by a lorry on Duke Street in the east end.

Elsewhere, at around 10.35am, a 64-year-old woman also died when she was stuck by a lorry near the Drumchapel Shopping Centre. Roads were closed at both scenes and police are now appealing for witnesses.

In a third incident on Tuesday a 12-year-old girl was knocked down by a taxi on Edinburgh Road, Riddrie, at 8.30am. She was treated at Yorkhill Hospital for a broken leg and her condition was described as stable as The Glaswegian went to print.

Councillor Sadie Docherty, who attended the launch said: "Tuesday's events were tragic and our thoughts are with those hurt and the loved ones of the two women killed.

"By most measures, Glasgow's roads are safer today than they have ever been in modern times - but these incidents demonstrate exactly why there can be no room for complacency.

"Go Safe Glasgow is a campaign for all road users - drivers, cyclists, those who drive at work and of course, our most vulnerable citizens, such as our children and older people.

"We must be committed to our local and national objectives and be innovative and forward thinking on how we achieve them."

Chief Inspector Jim McLaughlin, of Strathclyde's Road Policing (Central Command), added: "This campaign is yet another way for us to raise awareness of the dangers of the roads."