10 Safer Roads

10.1 Road Safety in Lancashire

We will aim to reduce road casualties in all our work

10.1.1 Introduction

We are committed to improving road safety with delivery across all areas of work. Safety is an essential element of all the work carried out by the County Council. A scheme aimed at one of the other shared priorities will frequently be able to make a positive contribution to road safety too. In return, road safety schemes can often contribute to the other shared priorities, particularly accessibility aims to promote social inclusion.

Lancashire has a holistic approach to road safety whose success has been recognised nationally. Schemes dedicated to road safety are delivered through three principal programmes. The Road Safety group delivers education, training and publicity programmes with special attention to vulnerable road users. The Safety Engineering group analyses casualty data and carries out engineering improvements to the highway, and is active in areas of deprivation where schemes can save the greatest number of casualties. The Vulnerable Road User Audit will ensure that the needs of walkers, cyclists and people with limited mobility are taken into account in every scheme. The Lancashire Road Safety Project, administered by the Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety, saves casualties through three themes; to reduce speed through safety cameras, to reduce drink-driving and to promote the wearing of safety belts.

Current programmes have proved themselves successful in reducing road casualties and will be developed further using established models of best practice. Research reveals disproportionately high casualty rates for particular groups - children and a particular section of motorcyclists. New approaches will be explored to tackle these situations. Added value will be gained by meeting the needs of local communities through their strategic partnerships and community safety strategies. To maintain and improve the quality of its services, the Road Safety group is working towards Charter Mark status in 2006.

10.1.2 Complementary Measures

The scope to improve road safety lies not only in the activities of the County Council but also with a number of partners and stakeholders. Key partners are the Police, District Councils and Community Safety Partnerships. Stakeholders including the Health Services and ambulance and fire services. Our safety campaign Together We Can Make the Difference is aimed at everyone who uses the wide range of transport modes on the public highway.

Schemes complementary to road safety include highway maintenance, which benefits all road users, and the provision of better infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists, especially those travelling to work and education. Parking management is delivered by District Councils through the ParkWise organisation, with central services provided by the County Council.

We will continue to support the police and the Vehicle Inspectorate in enforcing driving and vehicle maintenance standards. We will also support the civilian enforcement agencies the Vehicle and Operators Services Agency (VOSA) and the Highways Agency Traffic Officers (HATOs). We will continue to offer our assistance to the Driving Standards Agency in developing the Hazard Perception element of the driving test.

We welcome improvements to vehicles to increase safety and reduce personal injuries to those inside and outside vehicles. Under the European New Car Assembly Programme cars are crash tested to establish the degree of protection that they offer to passengers and pedestrians. The results are published as Front and Side Impact, Pedestrian Test and Child Protection ratings and this information allows consumers to compare their performance. Event Data Recorders - similar to aircraft black boxes - are fitted as standard to some current American models and have been tested by UK police forces. Their wider existence will supply crucial data to help in the analysis of road accidents.

Road Safety Strategy

The production of the County Council’s Road Safety Strategy, in conjunction with other key stakeholders across the county, has enhanced the authority's focus on road safety issues. This strategy has been developed through a data-led process of identifying the key issues and strengthening the multi-agency approach to implementing appropriate and timely interventions. This strategy will remain a ‘live’ document that will be regularly reviewed to enable emerging problems to be addressed swiftly and in an appropriate manner.

Speed Awareness

Lancashire has again led the way in educating motorists. In October 2005 the Association of Chief Police Officers adopted a national model for the delivery of speed awareness courses based on the highly successful Lancashire course. Police forces will be encouraged to adopt the national course and offer it to drivers who are detected speeding in certain limits at a level set by each force but not exceeding 10% +6mph over any limit.

Courses will have to meet the national specification and will be provided by Local Authorities and companies who are members of the Association of National Driver Improvement Scheme Providers (ANDISP). The County Council’s Road Safety Group Manager holds the chair of ANDISP.

Bid for Beacon Status for Road Safety Services

Lancashire has entered a bid for road safety services in the Beacon Scheme. Our bid has been short-listed and we are awaiting the announcement of successful authorities in March 2006. Once the awards have been made, Beacon Councils will be expected to share their experience and expertise with other authorities.

The scheme is delivered by the IDeA (Improvement and Development Agency) on behalf of Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. It highlights the achievements and ingredients of success of authorities that have delivered excellent services with the intention of helping other authorities to improve. Beacon Councils work with the IDeA and with each other to develop a co-ordinated programme of learning events and peer support activities.