Welcome to the May newsletter.
PACTS EVENTS
Achieving Compliance
Event Date: 9:30 am June 13, 2012
Location: Brunel University
This conference is being organised jointly by PACTS and the Criminal Justice Research Centre within Brunel Law School. Given the focus in the Strategic Framework for Road Safety on achieving compliance with road traffic law, it will offer an opportunity to review the evidence about the effectiveness of methods to encourage people to comply with the law. It will look at all aspects of the process from enforcement through to the effectiveness of sentencing.
EXTERNAL EVENTS
Tispol Conference 2012
Event date: October 2 and 3, 2012
Location: Edinburgh
At the TISPOL conference, you will hear the current thinking and developments in road safety and enforcement from across Europe and beyond. There will also be a selection of road safety and enforcement exhibitors displaying their products and willing to offer advice and assistance in relation to their potential solutions.
NEWS
Preventing Road Accidents and Injuries for the Safety of Employees (PRAISE)
The European Transport Safety Council held their final PRAISE seminar in Brussels last week. Presentations are available to view on the website, along with all the PRAISE publications.
Letter to Penning on Vision for Road Safety
Link: http://bit.ly/HanJYl
The Parliamentary Co-Chairs of PACTS have written to Mike Penning, Minister for Road Safety, regarding the need for a British vision for road safety. The PACTS conference ‘Aiming for Zero’ which took place on the 23rd March, led Sir Peter Bottomley MP, Jim Fitzpatrick MP and John Leech MP to write, urging the Minister to adopt the safe systems approach. The letter can be viewed at the link above.
Cranfield University postgraduate programme now accepting applications
Cranfield University is now accepting applications to its postgraduate programme in Driver Behaviour (MSc, PGDip & PGCert).
STATISTICS
Police Powers and Procedures
Link: http://bit.ly/KN4FPF
On April 14, the Home Office published its annual bulletin “Police Powers and Procedures” containing information about the number of breath tests undertaken by police forces and the number of fixed penalty notices issued. It is interesting to note that in 2010 the number of breath tests fell by 11% and the number of FPNs issued for speeding offences fell below one million, possibly a reflection of the growing use of speed awareness course for first time offenders.
INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH
As well as encouraging and supporting the sharing of Britain’s expertise and knowledge, PACTS is committed to using the Decade of Action as an opportunity to build on existing European and international contacts and learn from experience from outside the UK. Therefore each month a publication from a different country will be featured on the Decade of Action website.
MAY 2012: April was National Distracted Driving Awareness Month in America. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has produced a website which contains facts and stastics, information on state laws and lists research on the topic.
PARLIAMENT
BILLS AND ACTS
Date: April 26, 2012
SELECT COMMITTEES
Road Safety Inquiry – Cycle Safety
Link: http://bit.ly/HKQEwF
Date: April 24, 2012
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS
“Parliamentary questions are tools that can be used by Members of Parliament to seek information or to press for action. They oblige Ministers to explain and defend the work, policy decisions and actions of their Departments.”
All transport safety parliamentary questions and PACTS comments can be viewed here.
This question was asked on week beginning 23rd April:
Safety Belts
Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will publish the seatbelt wearing rates in the front and rear seats for each age group for the last five years; and if she will make a statement. [103759]
Mike Penning [holding answer 19 April 2012]: In the last five years the Department has published the seat belt wearing rates for front and rear seats broken down by age group, for the years 2007 to 2009. The most recent usage statistics are available from the Department for Transport and Transport for London’s website at:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/statistics/releases/seatbelt-and-mobile-phone-use-surveys-2009-results/
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/mobile-phone-and-seat-belt-report-london-08.pdf
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/mobile-phone-and-seat-belt-usage-rates-london-2007.pdf
PACTS comments: Our attention was drawn by Oliver Carsten to the issue of seatbelt and mobile phone use surveys no longer being carried out when he spoke at the PACTS conference Aiming for Zero in March. PACTS would like to see these surveys continued in some form.
Keep up to date on transport safety news on Twitter: http://twitter.com/pacts
