Road Safety GB has welcomed a ‘first-of-its-kind’ joint review into roads policing and traffic enforcement, recognising the ‘crucial role’ the police play in making roads safer.
The two-year review – jointly funded by the DfT and Highways England and carried out in conjunction with the Home Office and the National Police Chiefs’ Council – will look at how roads policing currently works, its effectiveness, and where improvements could be made or gaps bridged.
It will be launched later this year.
Jeremy Phillips, Road Safety GB’s director of research, said: “Roads policing, the perceived threat of detection along with appropriate and effective sanctions for violations are a vital part of the road safety mix.
“It’s a key disruptor in the lapse, error and violation cocktail that we know leads to collisions – and the importance of an efficient and focussed roads policing service in enhancing the effectiveness of local road safety partnerships cannot be over-estimated.
“This will be an important and well timed review – casting, as it will, an informed, constructive but critical eye over our roads policing assets and how effectively they are used in themselves and in the broader context of collaborative, inter-agency working. Road Safety GB welcomes this move and will offer any assistance that it can during the process.”
Steve Horton, Road Safety GB director of communications, added: “Road safety professionals who seek to influence attitudes and behaviour know the crucial role the police play in helping to make our roads safer.
“The fear of detection is a prime motivator for many people; we know that if there is a 100% chance of being caught doing something you shouldn’t, then you won’t do it. Equally, if there is a 0% chance of detection, then you will always do it.
“The reality is somewhere in between, so a focus on roads policing needs to remind drivers that if you are acting illegally or inappropriately the chances of being caught are high.
“Additionally, we know that out and out ‘violators’, who put everyone at risk, will not change their behaviour based on ‘education’ alone. We need support to ensure that these drivers are taken off our streets and roads policing is at the forefront of doing that.”
Click here to read the full Road Safety News report.
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