Simon Hamilton said, “Reducing the number of road accidents is an important priority. For too long, Northern Ireland experienced far too many fatalities on the roads and whilst recent years have seen a dramatic fall in road deaths, there is still scope for improvement. [caption id="attachment_20141" align="alignleft" width="223" caption="Strangford MLA Simon Hamilton has urged groups to take up the funding available from the DOE for road safety projects. "][/caption] “I think these new DOE Road Safety Grants are a great opportunity for community groups to make a contribution to improving road safety in their own local area. Communities will know themselves what will work in their area to raise awareness of risks on the road or projects that could reduce those risks. The scheme isn’t prescriptive about what projects can be funded so community groups are free to come up with innovative ideas that will work in their area. “I would encourage any community group in our area that have identified road safety as a major issue of concern to local residents to apply for a DOE Road Safety Grant. The deadline for applications is 30th September so time is of the essence. Application forms can be obtained from my advice centres in Comber or Saintfield or by visiting http://www.ctauk.org/cta-consultancy/roadsafetygrant.aspx “.]]>