Very sad news on the wires within the last few days; perhaps the most avid campaigner ever, for sensible motoring laws, has died. Paul Smith was just 52, yet the amount of knowledge he gained from the last seven years of his life, spent fighting for his cause, was quite remarkable.
Paul set up the SafeSpeed website around seven years ago; it quickly became the reference for anyone wanting chapter and verse on road safety. Working closely with the Association of British Drivers, another group intent on uncovering motoring injustices, Paul highlighted major flaws in our government’s road safety policy – yet he got little thanks for it. While the ABD is run by a group of volunteers, Paul devoted his life to his crusade, running SafeSpeed as a one-man band.
I always felt guilty for not speaking to Paul more often than I did; he uncovered one news story after another; sometimes it was research brushed under the carpet and other times it was some astonishing revelation he’d come up with by doing a bit of number crunching. While the SafeSpeed press releases and website suggested he had a chip on his shoulder, justifiable because of the government’s lazy attitude towards road safety, Paul always spoke calmly and rationally. Also, contrary to popular belief, his licence was always clean.
Thanks to his dogged determination, many dismissed Paul as a crank. The tragedy is, it’s unlikely that anyone will ever take over where Paul left off, ensuring the failed road safety policies of this government will remain. Perhaps the most fitting tribute possible would be a rethink of the UK’s road safety policy, so we can get it back on track. Instead, Paul’s demise will lead to huge sighs of relief in many quarters – which is surely the greatest injustice of all.
That’s very sad news Richard. I was not aware that Paul had passed away, and I am very saddened by the news.
He and his tireless SafeSpeed research represented so many of us who stand accused of having the same chip on the shoulder, when all we want is to see the true realities of road safety achieve recognition.
AlfaMartini | 29 Dec 07 - 15:25Sad news indeed. Delighted, however, to hear that Paul’s partner Claire Armstrong is planning to continue with the SafeSpeed campaign and website.
Gerry Pollard | 02 Jan 08 - 12:44