The role of information in a strategic framework for road

safety

Paul O’Sullivan

Head of Road User Licensing, Insurance & Safety, Department for Transport

What I want to cover

• Road safety – State of play

• Key themes for a strategic framework for road safety

• Delivering a safer big society

• The role of information

Trends in road casualties: GB 1994-2009

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1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

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KilledSeriously injuredSlightly injuredTraffic

Trends in GB road deaths

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1,000

2,000

3,000

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5,000

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7,000

1979 1984 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009

Other

Motorcycle Rider/Passenger

Pedestrian

Car Occupant

Who is most at risk? KSIs per 100,000 population, age & mode (GB 2008)

International comparisons of road deaths per million people (2009)

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Great Britain (best in class and still improving)

Why has road safety improved?

• Vehicles

• Enforcement (eg speed)

• Infrastructure

• Education, marketing and awareness (THINK)?

• And ..

Snow

The recession: Year on year change in road deaths, traffic and GDP (1979 –2009)

-10%

-8%

-5%

-3%

0%

3%

5%

8%

10%

1979

1981

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Yea

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ear

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ic/G

DP

-16%

-12%

-8%

-4%

0%

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8%

12%

16%

Yea

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Road deaths

GDP

Vehicle traffic

A new strategic framework for road safety. Some key themes:

• Making it easier for road users to do the right thing• Effective sanctions if road users deliberately choose to

be dangerous • Systems designed to protect when things go wrong• More education and training

– as alternative to fines and points for low level offences– for children and young drivers

• More local and community decision making– provide local information to citizens

• Support and capability building– tools to support road safety professionals

Delivering a Safer Big Society

Elements:• Social action• Public sector reform• Community empowerment

Themes:• Decentralisation• Transparency • Building capacity

Transparency and information

• Local citizens’ websites

• Speed camera information

• Better information and tools for road safety professionals

Significant variation in local performance

Percentage change in reported KSI casualty rate per billion vehicle miles

Reported KSI casualty rate per billion vehicle miles (2007-2009 average)

Transparency and better information

How is my area doing?

How does it compare?

Top Ten Rural Local Authorites by KSI Rate Per Daytime Population

Local Authority TypeDaytime

Population2008 KSI

KSI Rate / Pop

% Rural Road

NetworkNorth Somerset UA 219,863 63 28.7 77.6%Devon (excl UAs) CC 821,349 268 32.6 91.3%Cornwall and Isles of Scilly CC 607,022 209 34.4 91.2%Durham (excl UA) CC 539,169 193 35.8 65.0%Norfolk CC 904,482 388 42.9 86.0%Lincolnshire CC 744,643 337 45.3 87.0%Central Bedfordshire * UA 267,495 125 46.7Shropshire (excl UA) CC 314,162 151 48.1 91.6%Somerset CC 569,089 274 48.1 86.9%Herefordshire UA 192,713 93 48.3 91.1%

.. and on speed cameras

On comparative local performance cameras

Building capacity

• Better tools for road safety professionals. – New knowledge centre road safety website– Light touch ‘accreditation’ using road safety

stakeholder community; editorial control across the group

• Local capacity?• Making best use of behavioural science

Better tools: Casualties and socio-economic factors

Behavioural science and ‘Nudge’ in road safety

Issues and Questions?

• Can we get upward pressure and local delivery to work better?

• How far can we go with social media/ internet to get citizen involvement?

• Impact of less funding on ability to: – use information– provide information– engage with and respond to local citizens’

views?

Questions?