November 2011 PACTS Newsletter

22nd Westminster Lecture to be given by Dr Jillian Anable, University of Aberdeen

November 30th 2011

Venue: Church House Conference Centre, London SW1

Flyer Link: http://bit.ly/ry0yC7

October 13th 2011

Link: http://bit.ly/jgR9oA

This event was an important contribution to our understanding of a challenge facing road safety: how to ensure maximum mobility for an ageing population while keeping people safe. Among the over 60s, reductions in deaths and serious injuries have been nowhere near as great as among other age groups. Perhaps, the new strategic framework for road safety needs to look more carefully at the needs of this age group since it will become more significant as time goes on.

The Transport Committee has decided to undertake an inquiry into the Government’s strategic framework for road safety, which was published in May 2011. PACTS has coordinated a response from 15 organisations, which will be published once the evidence has been formally accepted.

Link: http://bit.ly/vjSb6x

A new framework setting out the key competences expected of driving instructors and motorcycle trainers has been published today by the Driving Standards Agency (DSA).

The National Driver/Rider Training Standard(tm) sets out the skills, knowledge and understanding required to deliver driver and rider training programmes for cars, light vans and motorcycles, both before and after a candidate has passed their test.

Link: http://bit.ly/pNQpid

Network Rail has been fined £20,000, the maximum fine a magistrates’ court can impose, and ordered to pay costs of £4,750 at Worthing Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to a health and safety offence related to the dangerous placement of a building next to New Barn level crossing in Eastergate, near Chichester, West Sussex.

Date: October 31, 2011

Link: http://bit.ly/tCEyyh

In 2008 the Department for Transport commissioned AECOM, in association with the Tavistock Institute, to design and deliver a three-year independent evaluation of local road user safety.

The report looks at: different strategies and approaches; what is working and where?; how is road safety being delivered?; good road safety practice; opportunities for enhancement.

Date: October 31, 2011

Link: http://bit.ly/vI879A

Shared space is a design approach that seeks to change the way streets operate by reducing the dominance of motor vehicles, primarily through lower speeds and encouraging drivers to behave more accommodatingly towards pedestrians. In the UK, shared space is usually applied to links and minor junctions with the aim of allowing pedestrians to move more freely within the space. This Local Transport Note (LTN) focuses on High Street environments, but many of its principles will apply to other types of shared space.

Date: October 20, 2011

Link: http://bit.ly/uUDM1s

A new report titled: Tackling Fatigue: EU Social Rules and Heavy Goods Vehicle Drivers is published as part of the ETSC PRAISE project, Preventing Road Accidents and Injuries for the Safety of Employees

Date: October 6, 2011

Link: http://bit.ly/uf22zU

Link:http://bit.ly/rSyUPK

Two reports, from Loughborough University and from TRL, have been published linking offence history data to active road users involved in OTS (On The Spot) investigated collisions. The OTS studies ran from 2000 – 2010 and saw Loughborough University and TRL record data from 500 crashes every year.

The findings showed that 46-47% of active road users involved in the crash had an offence record. This underlies the theory that people who take risks by offending may take greater risks as drivers.

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 page on the PACTS website.

Ministers of health of the Americas have approved a new plan of action on road safety designed to prevent traffic injuries, the leading cause of death in children aged 5 to 14 in the hemisphere and the second-leading cause of death for people aged 15 to 44. The plan was approved during the 51st Directing Council meeting of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). It calls on countries to update legislation to address the principal risk factors of traffic injuries: excessive speed, alcohol consumption, and the use of seat belts, helmets, and child restraints.

The Rail Safety and Standards Board published the following reports:

September 2011, Summary of Safety Performance report: http://bit.ly/saF6fl

The monthly SPAD Cat A and TPWS Report for September 2011: http://bit.ly/sgE30j 

August 2011, Summary of Safety Performance report: http://bit.ly/q3zW5A

The monthly SPAD Cat A and TPWS Report for August 2011: http://bit.ly/mSPKVm

The Quarter 1 SPAD Cat A and TPWS Report for 2011/12: http://bit.ly/qFysPf

The Quarter 1 SPAD Cat A and TPWS Report for 2011/12 (overview): http://bit.ly/qB7czK

All current safety performance reports can be found on the RSSB website at: http://bit.ly/gfzqap

Date: October 13, 2011

Link: http://bit.ly/kblez4

New Clause 15 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill was debated by its Public Bill Committee on the 13th October 2011. The Bill now goes on to the Report stage in the House of Commons on the 24th October 2011.

Commenting on the proposals from the Ministry of Justice for a new offence of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, Robert Gifford, Executive Director of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety, said “The main response to this proposal must be to ask: what exactly is meant by “serious injury”? The definition in Reported Road Casualties refers to a visit to accident and emergency or an overnight stay in hospital. I assume that, if the injury results from an act of dangerous driving, then the definition must imply an injury that is life-changing.

“It will be important for Parliament to give a clear indication of what is understood by serious when the amendment is debated. Otherwise, it is quite likely that the offence may be placed on the statute book with little or no effect.

“At present, just under 6,000 drivers are charged every year with dangerous driving. Yet we have no information about how many of those charges are the result of a crash involving serious injuries. So, it will be important to understand just how many extra court cases will result from the new offence.

“I hope that MPs and Peers will therefore look very carefully at the detail of this offence to ensure that it leads to improvements in road safety, especially as it was not referred to in either the Strategic Framework for Road Safety published by the government in May 2011 or the earlier consultation document on Road Safety Compliance published in November 2008”.

Date: October 13, 2011

Link: http://bit.ly/ubsRrg

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Norman Baker)

Date: October 11, 2011

Link: http://bit.ly/ufSKis

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Mike Penning)

“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 at http://bit.ly/fa9ZQL

These questions were asked on week beginning 10th October:

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to notify pilots of the entry into force of the new European-wide flight-time limitations; and if he will make a statement. [72320]

Mrs Villiers: The Civil Aviation Authority will notify pilots of the entry into force of European flight and duty time limitations. Currently, we expect the Commission regulation giving effect to the proposed requirements to come into force in the autumn of 2013. We anticipate that airlines will be given an additional period to transition to the new requirements.

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions his Department has had with the US Federal Aviation Administration on pilot fatigue; and if he will make a statement. [72321]

Mrs Villiers: At this stage in the development of the European requirements, neither the Department nor the Civil Aviation Authority has had any formal discussions with the Federal Aviation Administration on this subject.

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have had with the Civil Aviation Authority on the Notice of Proposed Amendment on Flight-time Limitations. [72322]

Mrs Villiers: Neither Ministers nor the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), had recent discussions with the Civil Aviation Authority on this topic. However, officials have regular discussions with the Civil Aviation Authority about the development of European requirements on aviation safety including those on flight time limitations.

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what contribution his Department has made to establishing new flight-time limitations for pilots; and if he will make a statement. [72323]

Mrs Villiers: Officials from the Department for Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority have responded to the European Aviation Safety Agency’s consultation on draft implementing rules on flight time limitations. The CAA has published its comments on its website at:

www.caa.co.uk

EASA are in the process of reviewing the responses to the consultation and will be issuing an amended proposal in due course. The Department, taking account of advice from the Civil Aviation Authority, will put forward the UK’s views on the proposed requirements. Ministers will determine how the UK will vote when a legislative proposal is made.

29th to 30th November 2011

Venue: Tapis Rouge, Paris

Link: http://bit.ly/o9turo

Keep up to date on transport safety news on Twitter: http://twitter.com/pacts