This report was compiled following a summit held during Global Road Safety Week 2017 to review some successful measures designed to reduce vehicle speeds and to demonstrate what has been done to address this key risk factor.
As one of a series of London events and as our contribution to improving international understanding of effective countermeasures PACTS supported the road safety charity RoadSafe which created this Speed Summit.
The report is framed from a Safe System perspective as PACTS continues to push for the adoption of Safe System practice in the UK and abroad. Safe speeds are one of the pillars of a safe system, reducing the impact of road traffic injury by influencing both the frequency and severity of collisions. As highlighted in the report, police road collision data (Stats19) for Great Britain show inappropriate or excessive speed to be two of the contributory factors most often recorded by the police. In-depth studies have concluded that the true level may be three times higher. When confronted by difficult or dangerous situations, speed is the variable that road users normally adjust to cope with the task.
The report goes on to look at effective enforcement and community engagement measures that can have an impact on vehicle speeds improving the safety of the road system.
The report from the event features an analysis of the continuing effectiveness of some Prince Michael International Award winners, a process run by RoadSafe. Their success, which is reviewed here, should be an inspiration to others. PACTS is pleased to have been involved and the contributors from across industry, local government and the research community are to be congratulated on making this event such a success.
Download a copy of the report here.
