Chief Superintendent to run 200k
for road safety charity

08.01.2021

Detective Chief Superintendent Andy Cox, who became an unofficial national spokesperson for road safety last year, is to run 200k to raise money for RoadPeace.

During global Road Safety Week from May 17-23, 2021, Det Ch Supt Cox, who is now Head of Crime at Lincolnshire Police, will complete the ambitious challenge over 10 days.

He will start the run at the location of the first ever fatal road collision, near Crystal Palace, in London and end at the National Memorial Arboretum, in Staffordshire, which provides a symbolic and comforting place for bereaved families.

Det Ch Supt Cox, who is the national lead for fatal collision investigation, reporting to the National Police Chiefs’ Council, became well-known during the first UK lockdown when he led a social media campaign to reduce speeding.

As people were urged to ‘stay home to save lives,’ traffic drastically reduced on the UK’s roads leading to an alarming increase in cases of extreme speeding.

The senior police officer took to Twitter to warn drivers to slow down in order to prevent collisions, to ease the burden on the already overstretched NHS.

His Twitter followers, which include members of the public, road safety professionals and the media worldwide, increased by 10k in a matter of months. 

He was interviewed several times on Radio 2 by Jeremy Vine and the presenter agreed to support him in his road safety efforts.

Speaking of his upcoming challenge, Det Ch Supt Cox said: “Sadly, many people die in collisions on our roads. Lives taken in an instance and bereaved families and friends left devastated by their loss. I have seen this devastation first-hand.

"I have also seen the amazing work RoadPeace do to support seriously injured people and bereaved families, helping them come to terms with their loss, supporting them through such a terrible experience both in the short and longer term.

“RoadPeace also play a key role in advocating for road safety change and in doing so seeking improvements across the system to both help prevent serious and fatal collisions but also to improve the experience and processes for those who sadly have been affected.

“Like many charities, the pandemic has impacted upon RoadPeace as there have been less fundraising events and this has left them financially challenged.”

Since his JustGiving fundraising web page went live two days ago, Det Ch Supt Cox has already raised £1,610 of his £10,000 target. If you would like to make a donation you can do so here: Andy's 200km run fundraising for RoadPeace.

 

Picture: Det Ch Supt Cox (right) is pictured during a recent training session.

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