If you have any views about driving in Jersey or comments about ‘crash’ indicents you have experienced, please submit a comment below and we will upload them to our website in due course.
We also welcome your questions about road safety on the island’s roads and will be happy to answer them.
Thank you for your reply Philip though I didn’t receive an email from you (unless I’m going blind). What you say is certainly as I understand the advised practice to be but, honestly, it’s 50:50 on our lanes.
You also answer another question as to why runners in road races are advised to keep to the left!
While typing I’d just like to say I had about a dozen heart attacks on Sunday whilst manning the checkpoint at La Pulente/Railway Walk for the Amnesty cycle ride. Visiting cyclists (in particular) were regularly sailing across the road without realising it was there. (The locals, parents with children etc. by contrast were very aware). I know this might be an old problem but there will be a bad accident there some day. I would say that motorists need to be made aware (with rumble strips or even speed humps) that there are likely to be pedestrians/cyclists ahead crossing without a care in the world.
Thank you for your attention.
Good afternoon,
Just looking at your website with interest for the first time. I see the Panel is made up mainly of driving professionals. This is probably how it should be.
I wonder if there are any voices heard from the cycling and/or road running fraternity. As one of the latter group I get to see a lot of motorised traffic at close quarters. In our island it can be summarised as courteous but of a pretty low standard. I exempt our bus drivers in particular who are, I find, exceedingly careful and considerate.
Pedestrian users are of course not exempt from criticism and it amazes me that some people live as long as they do.
One question – it appears to me that ‘walking/running facing oncoming traffic when there is no pavement’ is no longer taught or recognised. Today children are generally driven to and from school so maybe it’s no longer relevant to schools. However we now have two generations that seem to have no idea of this safety protocol.
Am I correct in saying this?
Thank you
Hi Roy,
As you know I have already emailed you, but for anyone who is interested, we do still teach young people which side of the road to walk on when there is no pavement. It is surprising how many don’t know.
For any readers who aren’t sure the Highway code rule 2 states, when there is no pavement you should walk on the right hand side of the road so you can see oncoming traffic.
You should take extra care and be prepared to walk in single file, especially on narrow roads or in poor light. keep close to the side of the road.
It may be safer to cross the road well before a sharp right-hand bend so that oncoming traffic has a better chance of seeing you. Cross back after the bend.
Rule 5 covers Organised walks. Large groups of people walking together should use a pavement if available; if one is not, they should keep to the left. Look-outs should be positioned at the front and back of the group, and they should wear fluorescent clothes in daylight and reflective clothes in the dark. At night, the look-out in front should show a white light and the one at the back a red light. People on the outside of large groups should also carry lights and wear reflective clothing.
I find the slogan “A crash is not an accident” both annoying and illogical. It it isn’t an accident, then it must be deliberate. This would only be true if you were intending to crash to cause injury or for an insurance fraud. Simply losing concentration is not a deliberate act, so a crash as a result is an accident. And what about if you sneeze? It’s impossible to stop yourself, and it sometimes leads to accidents. Ice can also cause crashes even if you are driving slowly and concentrating. Get a new slogan.
Incorrect. Not being an accident does not make it deliberate. An example would be a driver who suffers from insomnia and therefore poor concentration – such a driver should not be on the road and if he/she causes an ‘accident’, then it is reasonable to suggest that it would be due to poor concentration caused by insomnia. Obviously sneezing while driving could result in a true accident, unless you knew you had a condition which might lead to excessive sneezing which might impede proper driving. With regard to ice on the road, the question is should you be driving in the first place in such conditions?
Hi Adam,
Thanks for your feedback and points you make.
The point with the original campaign, when we launched it, was based on Transport Research Laboratory stats that said 95% of all accidents were the result of human error. The other 5% would be things like mechanical problems or illness or things like sneezing. When we look at the stats in Jersey, pretty much all the collisions could be avoided, they are invariably down to human error or lack of concentration. The other reason for calling the campaign ‘A crash is not and accident’ rather than “A crash is deliberate’ was when we refer to a crash as an accident, it infers no one is responsible, whereas this isn’t normally the case.
Thanks again for your comments
Why when they lay high-friction surface on the roads at the moment, do they not sweep the road daily to ensure that the surface is clean of the marble-like stones that are lethal to all things two-wheeled?
Why are taxi drivers exempt from wearing a seat belt?
Strictly speaking, taxi drivers are only legally exempt from wearing a seat belt when carrying a fare paying passenger. This exemption was granted on safety grounds in case they are attacked by a passenger and the belt was used as a weapon. Regards – Philip Blake
What kind of enforcement will the Police carry out? (regarding enforcement of new rear seat belt legislation)
For the first month, the States of Jersey Police will offer advice to motorists, inform them of the change to the Law and ensure seatbelts are buckled up. After this period motorists will be reported for the offence. Regards – Philip Blake
Matt Chatterley made a good point,”lost tourist in an H car syndrome”. Jersey has a good system of hired cars being clearly visible to the motoring public… make allowances-expect they may be lost & give them room!
The most dangerous drivers on the islands roads are not hire car drivers. They are the impatient & selfish local drivers!
Travel eastbound on Victoria Avenue any day of the week (but the best performances occur Mon-Fri during morning “rush hour”). If your not tailgating-you soon will be as some clown changes lane 4ft off your front bumper in order to get aheah by one car at the red light!
Personally I think the adverts are badly put accross and back people believe that they have the right to pull out and it is the other persons duty to avoid them.
Also in the highway code I believe it is your duty to make sure the cars are stopped rather then just walking out onto a crossing. Or with a crossing in plane site. The stopping distances you quote are from a bygone age before cars had servo assisted brakes and abs let alone tyre technology. An ill inform campaign wasting more money.
I know lets all get people to walk infront of the motor car waving red flags. Make the St Clements mob happy.
*** it ban the car
Pedestrian lights are needed by the gunsite as its almost impossible to cross because of the flow of traffic.
Please stop cars speeding down longueville road, someone is going to get killed one day.
Being Jersey born but currently living away, each time I return to the Island and rent a car, I get a nasty shock – namely – the way people (ab)use the roads! I am a keen driver and a member of RoSPA (RoADA) here in the UK, and of course – there are bad drivers here too – however, the amount of time I spent dealing with tailgaters, hastily maneouvered mopeds and drivers who take bends with poor visibility (particularly on the country lanes) too fast – is far greater in Jersey! Partly this comes from familiarity with the roads and complacency, and partly from impatience with the usual “lost tourist in an H car” syndrome. This campaign is great though – the title couldn’t be truer. Perhaps pushing RoSPA membership (could the states try to strike a deal with companies providing car insurance in the islands to offer a small discount to those who pass their advanced test?) and encouraging further training amongst younger drivers would be a solid start?
I think cameras on traffic lights activated when on red to catch vehicles going through should be introduced. The Esplanade/Gloscester St junction is noticeably abused.
Pedestrian crossings. I understand that a ‘legal’ pedestrian crossing has zebra stripes and has to have orange flashing beacons on the pavement or it has pedestrian controlled lights.
I would like to know what legal standing the many zebra striped crossings, that have appeared around the town, have. They have no accompanying beacons nor lights. Comon sence says to treat them as though they were ‘proper’ crossings, but are they? Who is in the wrong if a pedestrian gets hit on one?
The zebras you refer to are in fact quite legal in Jersey. They should be treated as a normal zebra crossing. Thanks for the question. Regards – Philip Blake
hi there, i’d just like to state that yes, although I think this is a very worthwhile campaign and I do hope it does a lot of good, I really think you should re-think your advertising signs. The large banners at Springfield and Rouge Bouillon do nothing but cause me to lose my concentration as I drive round there and look at the posters.
If I hit another car due to reading your sign, i’d say that was an accident! Good luck however, and I hope that people listen to the message you are sending.
Could you tell me if the speed limit for HGV’s,buses and coaches has increased to the islands top limit of 40mph. I am constantly overtaking these vehicles who are well above the 30mph limit that they are supposed to travel at. What makes it even more important to police these vehicles is when you see loaded school buses exceeding the speed limit. One has to ask the question, do the police actually know the speed limit for these vehicles as they never appear to be stopped?
No the limit hasn’t been increased their maximum speed should be 30mph. I’ll pass on your comments to the States Police. Regards – Philip Blake
Hi There,
Firstly, I would like to congratulate everyone involved in this project, now onto my concerns, this firslty came to mind after seeing the uk commercial regarding hands-free mobile phones, it seems to me that this commerical is not giving a true picture, as it constits of a man talking to his wife, the next minute, he does not reply, their is no sign of a bluetooth earpiece or him holding the mobile in his hand, so what is the message in this? well some forms of hands-free kits can be unsafe for use while driving, I have one that plugs into the cigarette lighter, which the phone is held in a housing on my dashboard, I only have to press any key on my phone and then I can talk, when the call is over it automatically disconnects, without me touching my phone, however I have read in the J.E.P. in the letters to the editor section well ban the use of mobile phones altogether as they are a distraction while your driving!! if that is the case then anybody sitting in your car and talking to you is also a distraction, and furthermore even have a radio or cd player can also be classes as a distraction, I have also heard the anti smoking brigade, are trying to ban people from smoking in their own cars, now we cross the line at this point as it’s a human rights issue, as a former smoker myself, two things to bear in mind, firslty which type of hands free kit is safe to use? also the matter of smoking in your own car? now I’m not crying over split milk as on two occassions I have been the victim of an r.t.a. which were not my fault in both cases I was not even moving.
So like try and put this into some sort of sense, firstly the use of hands free mobile phone kits, and are they safe to use while you are driving bluetooth earpiece could come off your ear, which would lead to a major distractition while you were driving trying to locate it!! or the other type pf hands free which is a wire that goes from the phone to your ear, again if it fell out you would be distracted while you were driving, I would be very interested to hear the people of Jersey’s views on these points, and one further point smoking a cigaretteis only dangerous if you happen to drop it,then you try and hunt around for it before it can start a fire, on smonking that’s my only reservation, however the people who use the mobile phone without a hands free kit are asking for trouble, not only is it totally stupid, but in a situation which needs both hands on the steering wheel, well it speaks for it’s self I suggest those people who believe they are above the law, and think they are being clever are not, and we should all keep a look out and tell the police if we spot one, the crafty one usually have their are resting on the door, and the phone is usually so small, that you would not even notice it, and on the other hand their are drivers who like it in your face show they are talking on a mobile, to keep the roads of Jersey safer we must all do our part, I suggest if you are buying a mobile phone hands free kit then think very carefully on your choice as yours or someone elses life could depend on it!!!!