PACTS Roundtable discussion on young and novice drivers.

On April 30, in association with Co-operative Insurance, PACTS held a breakfast roundtable focusing on the issue of novice drivers. Speakers at the event comprised Jim Fitzpatrick, Minister for Road Safety, Frank McKenna from Reading University, David Neave, Co-operative Insurance, and Simon Christmas, author of “The Good, the Bad and the Talented”. The event was chaired by Louise Ellman.

There are no easy answers to the issue of how to reduce the accident involvement of novice drivers. It is clearly important to improve both the training and assessment regimes for this group. Equally, the introduction of new technologies such as black boxes may help to monitor driver behaviour, especially if linked to insurance premiums.

The event brought together key practitioners tackling the challenges for safety. It was also attended by a number of MPs and Peers with an interest in road safety. Such interchanges are vital in order to ensure that policy is best on research and best practice.

Government’s further response to road safety report

The Transport Select Committee has published, as a special report, the Government’s full response to its 2008 report Ending the Scandal of Complacency: Road Safety beyond 2010.

Several of the key recommendations made in that report now feature strongly among the proposals made by the Government in its new road safety strategy consultation (A Safer Way: Consultation on Making Britain’s Roads the Safest in the World).

In line with the Committee’s recommendations the Government has pledged to place higher priority on the safety of children and young people in deprived areas as well as motorcyclists. Likewise, the Government has accepted a Committee suggestion to shift towards a ‘systems’ approach to road safety, where vehicles, roads and traffic regulations are all designed to common standards so that inevitable road user errors do not result in death. This means more 20mph limits in towns and greater safety on rural roads.

The Government has accepted the Committee’s recommendation to set a challenging new target for reducing deaths that is separate from a target for serious injuries. It has also accepted the need for greater independent advice and scrutiny, proposing an independent expert panel.

Future of Aviation

The first evidence session for the Transport Select Committee’s inquiry into the future of aviation took place on Wednesday 6 May. The witnesses included the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, Civil Aviation Authority, Royal Aeronautical Society, Committee on Climate Change and the Environment Agency.

The inquiry will focus on the economic, environmental and infrastructure issues of aviation in the UK.

A Safer Way: Consultation on Making Britain's Roads the Safest in the World

The consultation on ‘A Safer Way: Consultation on Making Britain's Roads the Safest in the World’ seeks views on the vision, targets and measures for improving road safety in Great Britain beyond 2010.

The views received in response to the proposals put forward will influence the final shape of the Department's next road safety strategy, which is due to be published at the end of the year.

New measures to ensure all roads have the right speed limit and the formation of a new expert panel to investigate road safety are part of ambitious plans to cut road deaths by a third by 2020 and make Britain's roads the safest in the world.
The way people learn to drive and how they are tested are also set for major reform. A new road safety qualification will offer young people a partial credit towards their car theory test while the learning process and the theory and practical tests will all be improved. Van drivers also will be given the chance to enhance the skills they need for their work through a new qualification.

Aviation Safety

Dame Deirdre Hutton appointed as first female Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority

Geoff Hoon, has appointed Dame Deirdre Hutton CBE as Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). She is the first woman appointed to the post. She will take up the position in August 2009 when the term of office of the present Chairman, Sir Roy McNulty, comes to an end.

Dame Deirdre is currently Chair of the Food Standards Agency. She is used to regulating where safety is the top priority. She will also bring to the CAA expertise in consumer issues and engagement in Europe. Her previous appointments include Chair of the National Consumer Council, Deputy Chair of the Financial Services Authority and Deputy Chair of the European Food Safety Authority. She remains a non-executive director of the Treasury.

Dame Deirdre will serve as Non-Executive Chair, working approximately two days per week at the CAA. Her key tasks, as well as maintaining the UK's excellent aviation safety record, will include guiding the CAA through a period of change following the 2008 strategic review of the Authority and prospective changes to the economic regulation of airports which are the subject of a current Government consultation. Her appointment is for five years.

Rail Safety

New chairman appointed at Office of Rail Regulation.

Geoff Hoon has appointed Anna Walker as the new Chairman elect of the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) - the independent safety and economic regulator for Britain's railways. The appointment has been made in accordance with the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments Code of Practice.

Anna Walker, currently the Chief Executive of the Healthcare Commission, will take up her new duties at the ORR on 5 July 2009. Anna's previous roles include Deputy Director General at the Office of Telecommunications (OFTEL) during the mid-1990s; Director General at the Department for Trade and Industry, responsible for the Government's energy policy during the late 1990s; and Director General for Land Use and Rural Affairs at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2001 to 2004. She is also a member of the board of Consumer Focus.

The ORR is led by a Board appointed by the Secretary of State for Transport. The Board is responsible for setting ORR's strategy and has oversight of its efficient, effective and economic delivery.

Anna Walker replaces the current Chairman, Chris Bolt.

Champions to oversee station improvements

Passengers' requirements at stations across England and Wales are to be reviewed by two 'Stations' Champions' who have been asked by the Government to suggest ways to improve facilities.

Transport Minister Andrew Adonis, who has just returned from a six-day rail tour of Britain, has asked Sir Peter Hall, President of the Town and Country Planning Association, and Chris Green, a non-executive director of Network Rail and a former Chief Executive of Virgin Trains, to advise the Government on improving stations. The champions will advise on the minimum levels of service that should be set at stations - ensuring they are appropriate to the stations' passenger flows - so passengers can be confident that stations will meet set standards.

They will also provide advice on how other changes such as 'quick wins', better station management, future franchise agreements, Network Rail initiatives, and longer term investment can be brought about in a way that that delivers better stations.

Road Safety

Road safety organisation re-launches in a bid to reduce UK accident figures

The Local Authority Road Safety Officers’ Association (LARSOA) has relaunched itself as Road Safety GB in an effort to reach out to every individual across the UK.

Alan Kennedy, Road Safety Section Manager at Durham County Council, has taken over as Chairman of the newly re-named group and said it wished to broaden its sphere of influence and become a familiar name to families everywhere.

“At some time in our lives, virtually all of us will be affected by the fall-out from a road crash,” said Mr Kennedy.

“Even if we are not involved ourselves, we will know people – friends, family or work colleagues – who are injured or die as a result of a crash.

“Making our roads safer is a challenge for all of us – not just road safety professionals. We are all in this together. While LARSOA has served us reasonably well, it’s a clumsy name that is hard to pronounce and remember. It’s well known within road safety circles, but almost unknown outside the profession.

“Our re-brand is much more than a change of name. It signifies our intention to go out and engage with everyone.”

The new website can be found at www.roadsafetygb.org.uk

Driving motorcycle safety

A  Good Practice Guide for safer motorcycling is now available on-line, following a recent agreement from major European cities.

The eSUM (European Safer Urban Motorcycling) Project is a collaborative initiative between industry & local authorities of Europe's principal motorcycle cities to identify develop and demonstrate measures designed to deliver safer urban motorcycling in the short, medium and longer term.

Overwhelming agreement to publish the web-based guide was given on the first day, and is now available for use by engineers, road designers and road safety practitioners throughout Europe, when considering motorcycle safety.

The on-line toolkit describes actions which are effective in cutting motorcycle casualties on city routes in 6 key themes, namely:-
 
 Training and Awareness,
 Highways Features and Policy,
 Targeted Enforcement,
 Specific Highway Remedial Measures,
 Powered Two Wheeler Design and Protective Equipment, and
 ‘Softening’ the Highway Infrastructure.

The eSUM project is part of the European Commission’s drive to halve the number of fatalities on EU roads from 54,000 to 27,000 between 2001 and 2010. Two-thirds of all injury collisions occur on roads in urban areas, where 80% of European citizens live.

To view the guide, go to www.esum.eu and click on ‘PTW Good Practice Guide.’

Motorists warned of the dangers of texting at the wheel

The dangers of texting while driving are highlighted in a new hard-hitting THINK! campaign after research showed that 30% of young drivers admitted to texting at the wheel.

Using a mobile phone at the wheel is considered the second most unacceptable driving behaviour among motorists with 93% agreeing that texting while driving is dangerous. However, 12% of all motorists admit to texting while driving.

The new radio advert features a driver's voice spelling out a text message followed by the harrowing sound of a car crash.

An online 'driving challenge' game - which demonstrates how using a mobile at the wheel can completely distract the driver - is being circulated online via social networking communities and entertainment sites. In addition, the shocking THINK! TV ad will be returning to our screens to remind callers to 'kill the conversation' as soon as they realise that someone is driving.

PACTS Conference - Autumn 2009

On October 14, PACTS will be holding a one-day conference on the challenges for road safety beyond 2010. As 2010 approaches, it is time to think what we need to put in place to achieve further reductions in casualties and overall improvements in safety. This conference is intended to help achieve that.
Since October 2007, PACTS has published two significant reports on road safety:

“Beyond 2010 - a holistic approach to road safety” and “Behave Yourself - road safety policy in the 21st century”. In these reports, we have set out the wider policy context in which safety improvements will be undertaken: the context of sustainable travel and of understanding human behaviour.

Two key conclusions from these reports were that we need a better understanding of human behaviour and greater involvement of consumers in the policy process. In terms of speed reduction policy, for example, behavioural change is possible, as shown in the increase in the number of people complying with the 30mph speed limit. However, the process of change takes a long time and must build on public acceptability.

It is also clear that in the next round of casualty reduction, we require a better understanding of data to target road safety messages effectively. Furthermore, while targets have provided a structure for road safety professionals, a new vision also must be underpinned by better management of road safety practice. Finally, we cannot overlook the importance of enforcement to improve safety.

The speakers at this event will cover the key challenges for the next decade and beyond: the policy context of sustainability and a low carbon future; the need for better understanding of human behaviour and data; and more effective management of the road safety system. I hope you will join us for a conference that will itself pose challenges to all who attend.

Brochures will be despatched shortly. Details will also be available via the PACTS website www.pacts.org.uk

20th Westminster Lecture on Transport Safety

The 20th Westminster Lecture will this year be held on Tuesday December 1 at One Great George Street, London. Given the time of the event and its proximity to a new UK road safety strategy and a new European Commission target, the lecture will have the themes of ‘Safety Targets: What have we learnt? What more can we achieve?’ The speaker will be Fred Wegman, Managing Director of SWOV Institute for Road Safety Research in the Netherlands.

PACTS latest research project

PACTS have begun research on the latest project which will look into concepts of shared space, from a transport safety perspective.

The government is under immense pressure to reduce carbon emissions as part of a global movement to confront climate change. At the same time, issues surrounding obesity have come under the policy spotlight as the British population is relentlessly subject to heart disease, diabetes, and other related illnesses. A movement emanating from the urban design world appears to directly or indirectly provide a simultaneous solution to both these policy objectives and others through the re-design of public space and traffic engineering. Shared space, a term coined in 2003, is based on designing integration into the urban landscape and moving away from the historical tendency to segregate various transport modes.

Shared Space builds on principles outlined in ‘Manual for Streets’, which calls for a re-prioritisation of road users. In theory, re-thinking the approach to urban design and traffic engineering to reprioritise transport modes could encourage more active transport, thus supporting the aims of policies which encourage active transport for issues of health or sustainability. Shared Space is also proposed as a measure which could increase road safety, although evidence at this stage is insufficient to prove this.

In reality, the term Shared Space is surrounded by much uncertainty. Some use it to imply the total removal of physical engineering measures, whilst others use it in reference to the idea of shared by pedestrians, cyclists, and motor vehicles with little explanation of ‘who belongs where’ or indeed what the ownership of that space involves.

This very wide interpretive range is rapidly becoming used in a number of forms across a number of industries. Interest has been expressed by experts in health, climate change, transport safety and town planning, yet this interest is largely based on data which may or may not have been explicitly researched or indeed fully understood by those using it. As a result, the safety implications may vary from those which are intended.

PACTS research intends to:

• To define and verify the implication and existence of shared space.
• To determine the conditions which allow shared space to thrive with positive benefits to safety, health, and the public’s quality of life
• Assuming these conditions exist, to determine what is preventing the spread of shared space.
• To examine these conclusions in order to consider the creation of an ‘optimal condition’ assessment for ‘shared space’ and thus hypothesise on the potential benefits or disadvantages of shared space in 5 areas of the UK differing in topology, deprivation, population density, and other factors.