Around 100 road safety professionals heard that partnership working has led to a dramatic improvement in road casualty figures in Essex in the past couple of years.
The delegates were attendees at a conference/workshop to ‘celebrate success in Essex’, which took place on 6 March.
KSI figures in Essex have fallen by almost 30% in just two years – from 987 in 2006 to a provisional figure of 692 in 2008. Fatalities and child casualties have also fallen in the same period.
Rosemary Welch, Essex County Council’s network and safety manager, told delegates that this was down to successful partnership working between the county council’s road safety team, Essex Police, and Essex Fire & Rescue Service.
“The road safety team and Essex Police have organised a series of joint operations using a combination of high-level enforcement backed by road safety publicity and awareness campaigns and activities,” she told delegates. “And the county’s fire service has used its popular and powerful brand to reinforce road safety messages.”
In a workshop session after lunch one of the key challenges to emerge was extending partnership working to engage more fully with the health service.
Guest speakers included Mike Fawcett, head of the road safety user division at the DfT, who hinted that targeting interventions very tightly on small groups might form an important element in the government’s road safety strategy going forward.
For further information contact Katie Brimley on 01245 437781
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