PR357: Mind Driving: Let there be light

news: Strict embargo, 00:01am Tuesday 19th September 2006

Safe Speed welcomes the launch today of a very important new book. 'Mind
Driving' by Stephen Haley illuminates previously dark areas of safe driving and
road safety by describing the conscious and subconscious mental processes that
keep us safe on the roads.

These essential safe driving processes are little understood and not described
elsewhere in print. It is because of this lack of understanding that bad road
safety policy has flourished. But now 'enlightenment' is just 201 pages away.
In the book, Stephen explains how individual foundation beliefs influence the
development of the mental processes on which safe driving and road safety are
founded.

Paul Smith, founder of the Safe Speed road safety campaign
(www.safespeed.org.uk) said: "'Mind Driving' explodes the myths on which modern
road safety policy has been founded and shows us how safe driving really works.
It is essential reading for drivers everywhere and especially those involved in
road safety policy."

"I have been saying that Department for Transport is 'institutionally unable to
understand the process of safe driving'. The best thing we could do for road
safety right now is to stop all work at DfT for a single day and require
everyone there to read the book. At the end of the day there will be light."

"'Mind Driving' is a burning beacon of common sense and reality. Speed cameras
have generated a great deal of heat but no light at all. 'Mind Driving' has the
genuine potential to be the light switch. Turn it on and let there be light."

Stephen Haley, author of 'Mind Driving', spoke exclusively to Safe Speed and
said: "My aim is simply to save lives and injuries on the road - we have to get
the numbers falling again. 'Mind Driving' will help to get genuine driver skill
back into the heart of road safety which is clearly the next logical step.
'Mind Driving' defines the opportunity to move forward from the policies
that have involved huge effort, but yielded no significant reduction in road
deaths for over a decade."

Paul concludes: "'Mind Driving' is truly a remarkable achievement and I wish
Stephen every possible success with it."

<ends>

Notes for editors
=================

Contact Stephen Haley:
Tel 01489 787379
Web: http://www.minddriving.org
Email: steve@...

Amazon link to book:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/redirect.html?link_code=ur2&tag=safespeedroad-21&camp\
=1634&creative=6738&location=%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2F1873371160%2F

Safe Speed page with free-to-use images and a public domain review of the book:
http://www.safespeed.org.uk/minddriving.html



About Safe Speed
================

The Safe Speed road safety campaign is primarily the work of engineer-turned
road safety analyst Paul Smith.

Since setting up Safe Speed in 2001, Paul Smith, 51, an advanced motorist and
road safety enthusiast, and a professional engineer of 25 years UK experience,
has carried out over 10,000 hours working on the campaign with well over 5,000
of those hours researching the overall effects of speed camera policy on UK
road safety. In addition to those 10,000 hours, Paul has funded to campaign to
the tune of £10,000.

We believe that this is more work in more detail than anything carried out by
any other organisation. Paul's surprising conclusion is that overall speed
cameras make our roads more dangerous. Paul has identified and reported a
number of major flaws and false assumptions in the claims made for speed
cameras, and the whole "speed kills" system of road safety.

The inescapable conclusion is that we should urgently return to the excellent
road safety policies that gave us in the UK the safest roads in the World in
the first place. Far from saving lives, speed cameras are a dangerous
distraction.

Safe Speed does not campaign against speed limits or appropriate enforcement
of motoring laws, but argues vigorously that automated speed enforcement is
neither safe nor appropriate.

Safe Speed is very slimly funded by voluntary contributions to the web site.
We are urgently seeking improved funding.

The Safe Speed web site contains more than 350,000 words of road safety
analysis and information. We are seeking publishers for 'the book of the web
site'.

It has turned out to be quite an amazing story and there are opportunities for
journalists and broadcasters to explore how all this came about, what it
means, and where road safety has gone so badly wrong.



Contact Safe Speed - We have moved
==================================

description: Safe Speed road safety campaign
web: http://www.safespeed.org.uk
email: psmith@...
telephone: > 01862 893030 < Primary number
ISDN Audio: 01862 894772
mobile: 07799 045553

Location: North Scotland

We are always available for further comment on your road safety story.

To be added to our PR distribution list send an email to
psmith@... or visit our press pages at:
http://www.safespeed.org.uk/prindex.html

Recent press releases (since November 2004) are automatically and immediately
uploaded to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SafeSpeedPR

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Note new address and telephone numbers
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