For Road Safety Week 2022, cyclist Stuart Chamberlain plans to complete a 22-mile electric-cycling challenge to draw attention to the fact that someone is killed or seriously injured on UK roads every 22 minutes.
The 45-year-old will cycle 22 miles from Lechlade to Swindon, where he works as Head of Remarketing B2B and Partnerships for the Swindon based sustainable leasing company, Arval UK, which is one of the headline sponsors for Brake and its Road Safety Week campaign. All money raised will help the charity’s National Road Victim Service, which supports 1,000 bereaved and catastrophically injured road victims every year, providing emotional and practical support.
Stuart said: “The number of incidents on UK roads is horrendous. We can all play our part in reducing them and so, for my contribution, I decided to take action and raise awareness of Brake’s Road Safety Week. I’m also an advocate of electrifying journeys, so it seemed like a great opportunity to raise awareness of road safety while also testing the real-world range of an electric-bike (e-bike).
“The e-bike I’m using claims a range of 25-50 miles, depending on the rider and conditions. When I agreed to this, I assumed the bike would propel itself. However, after a first trial, I’ll definitely be doing a lot more pedaling and as a Type 1 Diabetic, this will mean I’ll have to carry extra supplies to maintain my performance and remain mobile. Within work, I continue to be a long-term supporter of Brake and Arval’s pillar lead for road safety: I am always keen to raise awareness of road safety, as our customers currently have more than 185,000 of our vehicles on UK roads.”
John Spinks, who recently joined Arval UK as Networks Category Manager, will also accompany Stuart on the challenge.
Road Safety Week, 14-20 November, aims to raise awareness of road safety to make safe roads for all, as well as raise vital funds to help the victims of road crashes and their families.
Laura Challis from Brake, the road safety charity, said: “It’s fantastic that Stuart is taking on this challenge for Road Safety Week, and helping us to raise awareness. No death or serious injury on roads is acceptable. We urge everyone to sign up to take part in Road Safety Week and help to make roads safe for all, as well as raise money for Brake and our vital help for road crash victims’ families.”
To help both Stuart and John beat their £500 target, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/arval-uk-ltd-ebikeride and sign up for Road Safety Week www.brake.org.uk/RSW.