NRSC 2023: Speed dating

Soundbites and images from the Speed Dating session of the 2023 National Road Safety Conference.

• Catch up: Opening keynote presentations
• Catch up: Vision Zero/Safe Systems
• Click here to view the agenda

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Kate Castle, Senior Road Safety Officer, Warwickshire County Council & Fay Cannon, Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership Coordinator 

Kate Castle and Fay Cannon work collaboratively with partners to design and deliver initiatives, campaigns, and interventions to help Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership achieve its ambitious target to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on Warwickshire’s roads by 50% by 2030.

Presentation: Safe System education through webinar series

Adoption of the Safe System in Warwickshire

• 50% reduction by 2030 adopted target 
• Five working groups for each element 
• Coordinator and Assistant to ensure there is collaborative working and avoid duplication. 

Webinar series: 

• Started in May 2022, the Partnership have now delivered three webinars for specific road users 
• All elements of the Safe System bought together to educate targeted road users.

Together on the learning to drive journey:

• Safe Roads- Rural Roads and Caitlin’s Message
• Safe Speeds- Motorway speeds
• Safe Road Users- The DVSA ‘Ready to Pass?’ campaign and how it helps learners understand to prepare for their driving test and promoting The Honest Truth
• Safe Vehicles- Essential information on choosing a first car and vehicle safety and maintenance. 
• Post-Collision Response- Preparation before journeys 

Results:

“This webinar was very informative would be happy to attend a longer session or multiple sessions”

“I enjoyed the event and thought it was a very inventive way to get parents on board” 

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David Higginbottom, Chief Executive, Driver First Assist 

David Higginbottom has spent the whole of his professional career working in the transport and logistics industry, in compliance, health and safety, and training.

Presentation: First-aid for business drivers – It’s time to level up

The Road Network – UK’s Most Dangerous Workplace

Key facts:

• Blocked airway – will result in death within four minutes
• 30%-50% of RTC fatalities occur before arrival of paramedics 
• 39% of pre-hospital deaths preventable 

Opening an airway is a relatively simple procedure

Equip drivers with skills to provide an effective first response

A decade of award-winning training for: National Highways, DVSA, major fleets

Training goes online December 2023

You will learn how to:

• Apply dynamic risk assessment to make the right decisions
• Approach the scene
• How and where to position your vehicle
• Accurately identify your location
• Gather crucial information for the emergency services
• Make the perfect 999 call
• How to keep calm

The regulations:

Drivers must be: 

• Adequately trained to assess risks on the road
• Given clear instructions on keeping safe

Regardless of the law:

• It’s the right thing to do

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Craig Carey-Clinch, Executive Director, National Motorcyclists Council 

Craig Carey-Clinch has been active in motorcycling public policy and road safety issues since the early 1990s.

Presentation: Ten Steps to Safer Motorcycling

What is NMC?

A coalition of motorcyclists’ interests, which works together on motorcycle public policy issues – “Working together to help assure a positive and sustainable future for motorcycling”

The 10 steps:

1. Fully recognise motorcycling in transport policy – will unlock safety investment and create more active discussion and buy-in.
2. Implement the CBT and training changes agreed in 2017
3. Review and revise the motorcycle licensing regime
4. Change approach to Zero Vision and safe systems – RS support and investment to apply equally across transport modes.
5. New technologies, automation etc to take proper account of their impact on motorcycle users
6. Update and promote infrastructure guidelines 
7. Full post test training support, local initiatives, BikeSafe, IAM RoadSmart, Elite Rider Hub etc.
8. PPE – rider awareness of standards, role of SHARP
9. Create deeper analysis of stats, more inclusion of motorcycling in transport stats indicators and properly identify research gaps
10. Reduce the impact of crime on motorcycling

A need for licencing reform – why?

• 3DLD has not fulfilled its core purpose – to make motorcycling safer
• Previous SI measure returns even worse result.
• Complicated system – difficult to understand
• Costly multiple repeats of the same two-part test
• Disincentivises safety and progression
• Fails to fully utilise training & testing network

Why? Unlocking the societal benefits

• Convenient Mobility
• Unlocking Pro-active Safety Developments
• Mental Health and Quality of Life
• Lower Energy Use 
• Environmental Benefits
• Economic Transport
• UK economic potential in Future Transport area

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Tony Crook, Road Safety Manager, Lancashire County Council

Tony Crook is the Road Safety Manager for Lancashire County Council and leads teams in Education and Engagement, Speed Management and Safety Engineering.

Presentation: Speed, camera, action (reducing speeds and changing behaviours)

8 routes across Lancashire that were installed with Average Speed Cameras between (March 2017 and August 2018) have proven to have reduced both collisions and casualties and since the average speed cameras were introduced, speeding offences have reduced by more than half.

Example – The Grane Road Lancashire:

Jentoptic delivered the pan-Lancashire distributed SPECS solution covering eight routes, over 46km.

The average speed cameras were evaluated in the 2 years since they went live and demonstrated that they have been successful in reducing the number of speeding vehicles on all 8 routes, with some, such as Grane Road, having huge success, reducing detections of excess speed by over 70%.

Behaviour Change – reduction in offences

• A6 London Road – in the two years from March 2017 a reduction of 44.27 % detected offences.
• A675 Belmont – in the two years from June 2017 a reduction of 68.68 % detected offences.
• A565 Southport New Road – in the two years from August 2017 a reduction of 62.38 % detected offences.
• A588 Head Dyke Lane – in the two years from October 2017 a reduction of 57.14 % detected offences.
• B6232 Grane Road – in the two years from November 2017 a reduction of 70.38 % detected offences.
• A59 Brockholes Brow – in the two years from December 2017 a reduction of 76.88 % detected offences.
• A583 Preston New Road – in the two years from March 2018 a reduction of 25.15 % detected offences.
• A682 Gisburn Road – in the two years from August 2018 a reduction of 45.43 % detected offences.

Reduction in Collisions

The importance of design and collaboration:

• The clear understanding that Council had in terms of the issues on the routes prior to the cameras being installed ensured the design was completely fit for purpose in tackling these points.
• The collaborative approach was adopted during the design phase between partners and Jenoptik also increased the likelihood that the systems delivered results.
• There was a comprehensive PR campaign that supported the roll-out of the cameras which contributed to the local residents feeling better informed and on-board with why the cameras were installed.

Success = more cameras

The success of the installation of the average speed cameras within the 8 routes in reducing both offences and collisions were positive.  

5 further average speed camera routes in Lancashire were progressed…through the Safer Roads Funds (SRF).

Lancashire County Council received over £7.9m from the Department for Transport fund in 2018 to improve the safety on 5 routes that the Safer Roads Foundation had identified as being in the 50 most dangerous in England.

The 5 routes – included not just average speed cameras but safety schemes too

• A6 in Lancaster including an average speed/red light camera system, and pedestrian and cycle safety improvements, particularly around the Pointer Roundabout.
• A581 Rufford to Euxton – including average speed cameras, measures to highlight the centreline and edge of the road, extension of the 30mph zone at Ulnes Walton and mini roundabouts at four junctions.
• A588 from Lancaster’s Pointer roundabout to Skippool – including average speed cameras over 26km, measures to highlight the centreline and edge of the road, and a new zebra crossing north of Pointer Court.
• A682 from Barrowford to Long Preston – including average speed cameras over 8km, solar-powered road studs to highlight the centreline, and rumble strips to highlight the edge of the road over 13km.
• A683 from the M6 J34 at Lancaster to Kirkby Lonsdale – including average speed cameras over the whole length, 3.5km of roadside safety barriers, widening the footway over Hornby Bridge, and extensive upgrades to signs and lines.

A work schedule for these 5 routes to be delivered were spread over 4 years – these will now be evaluated for their effectiveness on road user behaviour change. 

Next steps – LCC are  now progressing other set of safety engineering schemes to make Lancashire roads safer

Further evaluation – a study into the medium and long-term impacts of average speed cameras in Lancashire combined with safety engineering schemes should be undertaken by Lancashire County Council.

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James Evans, Founder, First Car

James Evans is the Founder of FirstCar, a company born out of a sixth form common room in Kent in 2002 with the sole objective of keeping young drivers safe on the roads.

Presentation: Co-Pilot: the Vision Zero Toolkit

• a shared library of road safety education, training and CPD
• created by experts in behaviour change science
• to improve knowledge, skill, attitudes
• fully customisable with co-branding
• and deployment ready

Why create Co-Pilot?

• 1,760 fatalities
• 29,804 killed or seriously injured
• 137,013 road casualties of all severities

But also:

• human loss
• economic loss
• mobility loss
• time loss
• productivity loss

Why share a toolbox?

• briefing high-quality content takes time
• producing in-house content requires experience and expertise
• limited benefit to completely unique content
• maintaining the accuracy of content is a task in itself
• targeted education means you need lots of content
• designing and building bespoke content is expensive

How does Co-Pilot work?

• we pool subscription fees
• members share data and agree priorities
• intervention plans are developed
• content is produced and shared with members

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Ian Harvey, Motorcycle Casualty Reduction Officer and Police Motorcycle Instructor, Devon and Cornwall Police 

Ian Harvey is a motorcycle casualty reduction officer and police motorcycle instructor for Devon and Cornwall Police.

Presentation: Operation Cosset

In the past ten years Devon and Cornwall has seen a steady increase in Fatal and serious injury motorcycle collisions.

2022 was the highest recorded numbers of Ksi with 16 fatalities and 187 Life changing injuries

The challenge:

• Engagement
• Engineering
• Education
• Enforcement

Op Cossett – Police Drones & Road Safety

• D&C Police Drone Team was formed in 2017
• The team now consists of 10 full time officers
• Have access to a range of aircraft
• Deploying to missing people, large public events, firearms incidents, serious and fatal collisions

The tactic:

• The team have now deployed alongside Roads Policing colleagues on numerous occasions at various higher risk locations around the force
• The drone locates with a view stretching for a several miles in either direction and monitors that stretch of road
• Driving behaviour of concern is relayed to the Roads Policing officers who are directed to intercept the vehicle
• The drone records the offending behaviour and this can be used in court if necessary

The speeders:

• The distance between those two points is 0.6 miles
• The vehicle took 23 seconds to travel that distance
• 23 seconds ÷ 60 = 0.383 minutes
• 0.383 minutes ÷ 60 = 0.0063 hours
• 0.6 miles ÷ 0.0063 hours = 95.2 MPH

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Alan Hiscox, Director of Safety, British Horse Society

Alan Hiscox is the strategic lead for the implementation and management of the BHS’s charitable objectives regarding safety for horse riders.

Presentation: Highway Code Changes 2022: A Lost Opportunity?

One-stop shop for any safety concerns 

Highway Code changes (Jan 22) – nearly two years ago. Significant for how to pass horses. Designed to give clarity for drivers.

Changes brought about a drop in road incidents. As did BHS one-year campaign in Jan 23. Short term publicity worked – but no long term awareness change.

Drivers surveys showed few know about the changes – particularly at car events.

Were the changes a missed opportunity? Not just yet…

BHS continues to work to educate drivers – but needs help from the road safety industry!

How?

• Close pass operations focusing on horse riders
• VR campaigns
• Look at BHS incidents map
• Place temporary signage in hotspot areas

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Peter Cattell, Clearview Intelligence

Peter Cattell re-joined the Clearview team approximately eight years after a spell working in other parts of the Intelligent Transport Sector.

Presentation: How to save lives and save the planet

• Founded in 1974, we have nearly 50 years experience of designing, developing & delivering products & solutions.
• Clearview Traffic was born out of the acquisition of Golden River Traffic, Astucia & Count on Us. 
• Rebranded to Clearview Intelligence in 2016 as we steered the business from being product led to a solutions and data led business , driven by our Insight Platform. 
• Solely owned by Sir John Madejski since 2003.

Active Delineation – SolarLite Road Studs

What are retro-reflective road studs?

• Rely on vehicle headlights to illuminate them
• Reflect headlights back, towards the driver
• Only visible if headlights are shining on them
• Limited to the range of the headlights (90m)
• Reflectivity degrades over time

Active road studs save lives:

• 10x better visibility than traditional retro-reflective studs
• Visible in adverse weather
• Solar-powered
• 4x longer lifetime than traditional studs
• Proven to reduce night-time collisions by over…

Vision Zero +

SolarLite road studs can be used as a safety aid when streetlights are not appropriate, or when a road authority may want to turn them off.

• SolarLite improve sustainability
• Reduced emissions from manufacture
• Reduced emissions from Installation
• No large installation vehicles
• No ducting, trenching, cabling, or concrete
• No need to disturb the hedgerows
• Reduced emissions from operation

Net Zero

SolarLite carries both a financial and carbon cost saving when used instead of street lighting

• Standard street lighting 
  • 20 tonnes carbon per annum per 1km (NH)

• LED lighting 
  • reduces this to 8.8 tonnes of carbon per annum per 1km (NH)

• SolarLite
  • Carbon cost of x400 studs through manufacture is less than 2 tonnes / product life is 8 years
  • No emissions from operation

Consider a 10km stretch of road, over an 8-year period…

• Standard Street lights
  • 20 tonnes per annum / km
  • 10km
  • 8-years
  • 20 x 10 x 8 = 1,600 tonnes
• LED Street Lights
  • 8.8 tonnes per annum / km
  • 10km
  • 8-years
  • 8.8 x 10 x 8 = 704 tonnes
• SolarLite studs
  • 400 studs per km
  • 10km
  • 8-years
  • 2 x 10 = 20 tonnes

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Heidi Duffy MBE, Facilitator, National Young Rider Forum 

Heidi Duffy MBE has enjoyed a long and varied career in road safety, starting from her service as a police officer, then road safety assistant with both Nottinghamshire and Nottingham City local road safety teams, followed by 16 years as road casualty reduction manager for Nottinghamshire Police, until retiring in 2017.

Presentation: Young Riders Matter – NYRF

What and who needs levelling up?

Young DRIVER RTC KSI casualties, 17- 24 years, over 3 years.

= 2,563 Killed & Seriously Injured Casualties.

But…

Young RIDER RTC KSI casualties, 16- 24 years, over 3 years.

= 3,916 Killed & Seriously Injured Casualties.

Over 1,350 more young riders than young drivers KSI casualties

That’s why levelling up and doing more for young riders is needed!

How?

• Evidence- led – Check your stats for your highway authority or Police force area, ask ‘What proportion of our motorcycle stats are young riders aged 16 to 24 years riding bikes of 125cc or less?
• Road Safety Events – Are you reaching out to all road users when you have an opportunity to meet the public, what young rider resources and messaging do you give out?
• Budget – What proportion of your budget is spent on young Driver initiatives compared with young rider road safety initiatives?
• Education – When you are delivering young driver education, do you include young rider education?
• Expertise – Are you lacking in young rider experts, do you know the main

We have the answer to your problem – join the National Young Rider Forum!

No need to re-invent the young rider’s wheel, look what the benefits are for NYRF members…

• Join forces with the leading young rider RS forum in the UK.
• Access to NYRF resources such as our new educational resource ‘Ready to Ride’, series of infographics and webinar presentations on YouTube.
• New Rider Hub website and social media platforms.
• Regular NYRF meetings held virtually with young rider specialists to consult with
• Be part of annual events such as National Young Rider Day in June 24 and support key road safety campaigns such as Project Edward, NPCC & NFCC Motorcycle weeks, MAG ride to workday.
• Join a forum that puts young motorcyclists aged 16 to 24 riding machines of 125cc or less, at the centre of all they do and focus exclusively on this one young, inexperienced, road user!

Facilitator contact email – heidi.duffy@viaem.co.uk

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Chris Lewis, Development and Policy Lead, Victims of Crime and Road Safety at Warwickshire’s Office of Police and Crime Commissioner

Delivered by Fay Cannon, Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership Coordinator

Chris Lewis was a chief inspector in Warwickshire Police having leadership roles in roads policing and operations. He retired in 2013 and joined the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Warwickshire in 2014.

Presentation: Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership Remembers

Memorial service

• Since 2020 the partnership has offered a memorial service on the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (Third Sunday in November.) 
• Aim to support victims, families and recognise the impact collisions have on emergency service workers. 
• Developed an online tribute page to allow loved ones to be remembered throughout the year. 

Memorial for road traffic victims in Warwickshire:

• Unveiled in July 2023 the memorial is situated at Hartshill Hayes Country Park. 
• The memorial offers a peaceful location for all whose lives have been affected by a road traffic collision in a safe environment, away from the roadside. 
• The partnership also embraces the memorial as a symbol of hope, a reminder that together, we can create a safer future for all road users. 

Supporting the legacy:

• Continuing to promote the memorial locally and nationally as a place open to all. 
• Information leaflet provided to Family Liaison Officers. 
• Development of a community pack to support the wider community after a fatal collision. 
• This memorial will always serve as a poignant reminder of the need to raise awareness about the devastating consequences of road traffic collisions.

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