Bid to make town's roads safer

WARRINGTON’S award winning bus company has launched a new safety campaign aimed at making the town’s roads safer.
Warrington Borough Transport has launched its “Making Warrington Move safely” campaign in association with Tail Guardian.
It is the first in a series of initiatives aimed at improving road safety across the borough and beyond and involves fitting the entire fleet of buses and ancillary vehicles with the special Tail Guardian warning device.
David Squire, Managing Director at WBT explained the brightly coloured vinyl sticker is fitted to the rear of the bus and attracts the attention of any driver following the bus, the closer you get to the bus, the message changes to read “pull back”.
He said: “The device is designed to reduce the number of accidents where a vehicle runs into the rear of the one in front and is a trigger to keep further back. As a responsible bus company, we play our part in helping to keep the roads of Warrington safe, and we are delighted to be fitting this proven concept to our vehicles.”
Inventor and owner of Tail Guardian, Kenny McMillan, added that the device uses a special printing technique that is designed to change the message when the following driver triggers the two-second rule recommended by the Highway Code as a safe distance to follow the vehicle in front.
Councillor Alan Litton, Lead Portfolio Member, added: “The Council is keen to work with its partners to ensure the safety of travellers in Warrington on their journeys. The council supports the tailguardian initiative by Warrington Borough Transport as it can make a significant contribution to improving road safety by educating drivers of a safe distance to travel behind other vehicles”.
The Tail Guardian won the BRAKE Fleet Safety Product of the Year in 2009, and has been adopted by an increasing number of fleet operators, including Stagecoach Group’s motorway coach fleet; Fife Police and the Bethell Group.
Picture shows (L-R) Chairman Les Hoyle, Managing Director David Squire, Alan Litton and Engineering Manager Damian Graham.