Strategy implemented broadly as planned.

We delivered 122 Local Safety Schemes at a cost of £4,248,165 in the period. 63 schemes have established a full 3 year before and after record of accidents.

The remaining 59 schemes are more recent implementations but, in order to allow reporting the savings-to-date have been standardised to a 3-year after period - despite the assumptions needed to do this and the consequent limitations, these sites comprise 48% of the schemes completed in the period of the report so it is essential they are considered.

We constantly monitor the incidence of injury collisions against the national targets and in terms of specific road users.  This information is used to target engineering, education, training, publicity, and enforcement activities throughout the county as well as monitoring progress towards the national casualty reduction targets.

Killed and Seriously Injured (KSI) Casualties: We are currently on target to reduce KSI casualties from 1215 in the base period of 1994/98 to 729 by 2010. In 2004, there were 886 KSI and although this rose to 912 in 2005 (provisional), this figure, which represents a 25% reduction from the baseline, is considered to be a temporary blip. Therefore, whilst good progress has been made, it is evident that the rate of change in KSI casualties has recently slowed down and much work remains to be done if the annual reductions of 175 KSI casualties are still to be achieved by 2010.

Child KSI Casualties: Progress towards the target for child KSI casualties has been excellent with the 2005 figures 42% below the base at 119 KSI (provisional) and the target being 102 by 2010. The same proviso applies in that the last four years have seen figures remaining stubbornly around 120.

In order to make the step-change required to reach the final target an extended child road user audit is currently underway. Also, additional work is underway in investigating the deprivation aspects identified nationally and, the effect they have in respect of Lancashire’s deprived wards.

Slight Casualties: The 2010 target value of 54.97 slight casualties per 100 million vehicle kilometres travelled was achieved in 2002 and reached 49.55 by 2004.  Although the number of slight casualties increased in 2005 to 5794, the rate of 51.82 casualties per 100 million km is still well ahead of the 2010 target.

Whilst the KSI and Child KSI targets remain critical it is important overall reductions in accidents are maintained, as total casualties remain high at 6706 in 2005.

We have maintained a robust system for identifying and prioritising local safety schemes based on a predicted first year rate of return evaluation.  Each year, a number of sites, lengths, areas and route studies, with higher than expected road casualty frequency are identified by the examination of the accident database supplied by the Police.  The recommendations resulting from these studies form the majority of schemes considered for inclusion in the annual programme of Local Safety Schemes.

We have used safety audit techniques since 1990.  Each year, approximately 160 audits are carried out by experienced accident investigators.  In addition to these, a system of self-certification has been implemented for the simpler single element schemes where the design engineer certifies that safety elements on a scheme specific checklist have been considered.

An in-house location verification system has been developed based on ArcGIS, which improves the locational accuracy of data, by an automatic crosscheck of details supplied by the Police.  The system identifies the best locational match and also allows automatic amendment of details if the map position of the accident is moved, which also increases the rate that checks are made.  Work has also progressed on the development of an in-house system of a user-friendly accident analysis.

Motorcycle Casualties: There remains a particular concern in Lancashire at the growth in Powered Two-Wheeled (PTW) casualties in both the KSI and slight casualty classes. The PTW casualty class is the only road user group to see increases over the period compared to the base years 1994/98. These increases have been the subject of a detailed road user audit which has established that the major concerns lie with not just the ‘born-again biker’ phenomenon of mature riders injured on rural roads but also young riders of low-powered machines on urban roads.

The audit has demonstrated that a range of interventions will be required to address the differing causes of these accidents. For instance, measures aimed at overall PTW casualty reduction must take into account that, whilst only 20% of licensed PTW are 125cc or under, they account for 50% of Lancashire’s PTW involvement accidents. In respect of KSI casualties, PTW users account for 18% of all KSI casualties in Lancashire but represent only 1%-2% of vehicle kilometrage.

To drive this process the Council has recently entered into a Local Area Agreement (Target 3) with Government Office North West. This is to reduce the number of PTW deaths and injuries (killed, seriously injured or slightly injured) from the average of 520 per year in 2003/5 to an average of 485 per year for 2006/8.

A general review of the existing safety audit procedure has not yet been carried out following publication of the Highways Agency revised safety audit guidance (TD 19/03) since it was believed that additional guidance was to be produced for application on local roads. As it is now likely to be at least 12 months before this is produced, an interim review will be carried out before Autumn 2006.

It had been intended to implement a higher quality of validation checks against county-held GIS data such as speed limits and street lighting details. This has been delayed due to the development of the new recording system that was necessary following the change to the national STATS19 report form. This work will be resumed in the near future.

Strategy implemented as intended.

Since it commenced in 2001, the Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety has worked with many agencies such as the health service, fire service, BME groups and the Council for Voluntary Service. Together, they have delivered road safety initiatives and campaigns across the County of Lancashire. Contacts have been made with the district Community Safety Partnerships and through these a network of community concern mobile enforcement sites have been established. The partnership has been recognised nationally for its successful partnership working, receiving a Prince Michael of Kent International Road Safety Award in 2003. Work has also been undertaken with other partnerships in the northwest in the form of regional road safety campaigns.

Work has also been carried out in conjunction with Lancashire Constabulary in order to deliver speed awareness, education and driver improvement schemes. The council is also affiliated with a variety of public and private fleet companies in order to instill safer driver practices.

Senior Officers take a leading role in National and Regional forums such as LARSOA, RoSPA, ANDSP, National Casualty Reduction Forum, DfT group on  Local Authority Funding for Child Pedestrian Training, EU Agile Project, Transaid, Child Accident Prevention Trust and PACTS.

The Road Safety Group has taken a proactive approach to sharing our best practice over the last two years. 73 local authorities and international organisations have visited the Road Safety Group to see our schemes in operation.

Strategy implemented broadly as planned.

It is estimated that the devised schemes will save a total of 187 accidents equating to a 17% reduction in accidents over five years. Of these, 36 will be killed/serious accidents equivalent to a 20% reduction in KSI accidents at the treated sites. These savings should be set against the changes in accident numbers for Lancashire as a whole. The 3 year average for all accidents in 2002/4 fell 2.1% from 1999/2001, compared with 17% at treated sites. KSI accidents fell 8.9% compared with 20% at treated sites.

In terms of resultant casualty savings, Lancashire averages 1.4 casualties per accident yielding savings of more than 260 casualties from the schemes; for KSI accidents the multiplier is 1.2 KSI casualties per KSI accident, giving a saving of 43 KSI casualties from the treated sites.

Strategy implemented broadly as planned

A high quality and reliable school crossing patrol service has been maintained. The patrol service is divided between a service provider who recruits and trains staff and maintains emergency cover and the Road Safety Group which acts as the client and oversees the service, including monitoring site allocation, associated times, budgetary control and risk assessments. The service has maintained an annual coverage rate of at least 94%.

A key achievement here is the fact that the Road Safety Group has lead the way in the production of school site risk assessments. This has enabled us to identify and prioritise engineering solutions based on high risk sites. We will continue a rolling programme of site assessments conducted by qualified Health and Safety officers and traffic engineers.

We carried out a large scale study in the north east of Preston, which culminated in a very successful scheme in terms of speed reduction and public acceptance. This was achieved through a blank sheet approach during initial consultation. This raised very few issues other than road safety and local representatives are now consulted prior to each accident investigation to find out their perception of the issues. This procedure has been incorporated into the County Council’s standard investigation practice.

Through the Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety, a network of 292 fixed camera sites has been established across the Partnership area. This is supported by 144 mobile enforcement sites, 72 of which are sites which have been requested by local communities. The enforcement of speed using camera technology has been supported by speed campaigns, many of which have been targeted at specific road casualty groups eg young drivers and motorcyclists. The police in conjunction with the Partnership have developed a new speed enforcement policy which places a greater emphasis on education as an alternative to prosecution. This includes the introduction of a cautioning system and an extension to the range of speeds at which the Speed Awareness training course is offered. A system has been developed which prioritises the camera sites in terms of the level of enforcement which should be undertaken at each site. This prioritisation is based on accident levels, speeds and potential conflicts.

We have also carried out many route treatments. These are mainly on long rural roads which have higher speeds and long urban roads between towns. Examples include the A683 in Lancaster and the A682 in Gisburn. Treatments have involved signing, road markings and traffic calming measures.

The Speed Management Strategy document is being formulated with the expectation that it will be completed in summer 2006.

Strategy implemented broadly as planned with additional outputs.

Our attitude has been extremely proactive. The Road Safety Group’s education service was reviewed and restructured in 2002. A new team consisting of 8 road safety practitioners was established to ensure the delivery of a sustained and proactive approach to encourage and enable educational establishments to deliver road safety education. This has included a programme of planned visits to encourage head teachers and named school representatives to adopt a planned programme of road safety education, including policy development, integration into the curriculum and parental involvement. It includes the provision of free resources to assist teachers to deliver road safety education.

Educational Establishment;

We support and empower all educational establishments to deliver road safety initiatives using a planned and progressive approach. This has included 1,217 business meetings and a school contact each term.

Resources;

19,051 resource packages have been issued free of charge to support curriculum integration. Resources have been developed to meet specific needs, such as;

• The Big Book to support literacy,
• 1 in 5 booklet targeting 16-19 yr olds,
• Small Journeys and Journeys toolkits for health professionals, pre school care providers and primary school staff,
• 140 Theatre-in-Education performances to over 21,000 students, supported by curriculum resources.

For details of the delivery of road user training, see the following training section.

Consultation;

During 2004 a service appraisal was conducted involving all primary schools. It found that the Road Safety Group staff were helpful, the resources provided were appropriate, the training programmes were effective and the Group provided effective guidance on managing road safety issues in school. The respondents highlighted the need for suitable information for parents. The Road Safety Group have responded to this by developing the Journey’s toolkit for all Primary and High Schools in the County. The toolkit includes easily accessible information for schools to use in home to school communications.

Specific Transition Project;

This project targets Key Stage 3 transition issues. It includes a Theatre-in-Education performance and the production of a curriculum-linked package. It has been delivered to 20 high schools, with over 2,400 students each receiving an additional 3 lessons of road safety.

A schools tracking database has been developed to provide a profile of all educational establishments, assist with benchmarking, monitor schools progress and identify any gaps in service provision. In 2007, all schools will receive a detailed report of their road safety activity including suggestions for progress.

The Road Safety Group dramatically increased the delivery of road safety education and training programmes in educational establishment utilising approaches based on models of best practice. The Group successfully established a cascade model of delivery utilising paid co-ordinators and volunteers based within schools. Currently, 24 co-ordinators are employed, over 1,200 volunteers for cycling and 2,269 for pedestrian training. The Group established performance indicators for road safety in relation to a child’s development, which will be reported to schools on an annual basis. The Road Safety Group won a Prince Michael International Road Safety award for The Big Book literacy resource.

The Group has successfully maintained the long-term road safety strategy Together We Can Make the Difference since 1998. It encourages and enables all road users to address road usage issues. Many organisations and companies across Lancashire have pledged their support and display the easily recognisable logo.  The logo is also displayed on 20 mph signs across Lancashire.

Community groups, agencies and employers receive a regular mail shot, which updates them on both national and local initiatives. The mail shot also provides the opportunity to share best practice and celebrate success. In total, 25,000 people are signed up to the strategy and receive at least 6 updates per year. Since 2002 the Road Safety Group has produced Roadlife, an annual glossy tabletop magazine containing important road safety information with a distribution of 35,000.

The Group targets employers via the Drive It Forward strategy which includes raising awareness and assisting companies to introduce Managing Occupational Road Risk. The Group is also an Accredited Fleet Training organisation.

A range of training programmes have been delivered to vulnerable road user groups based on models of best practice that have been subject to robust evaluation. Training services delivered included;

1,547 courses have been delivered and 43,500 children at Key Stage 1 trained at a cost per child of £6.75. The programme is delivered by 24 co-ordinators and 2,269 volunteers. Right Start is implemented through approved and assistant trainers drawn from parent volunteers and staff. In addition, a 3 year research project conducted by Edge Hill College into the effectiveness of the programme was completed in 2006. The evaluation confirmed that Right Start is meeting its goals in all three Stages. Children exhibited increasingly confident behaviour, knowledge, skills and decision-making abilities as they progressed through the units and Stages. In the children observed, this was regardless of gender, academic ability, ethnicity, and social deprivation.

Passport for Safer Cycling Scheme;

This progressive scheme is delivered to schools at Key Stage 2. Module 1Theory is open to all 10 year olds irrespective of cycle ownership. Module 2 is Off-Road Training and Module 3 On-road Training. 2,468 courses have taken place involving 70,900 children. The scheme is delivered by 24 co-ordinators and 1,200 volunteers.

In addition, Adult Cycling Assessments have taken place involving 84 cyclists, 44 of wom were members of Lancashire Constabulary. A partnership has been established with Runshaw College to deliver Wheels to Learning in which assistance is given for cycling and powered two wheeler training.

Motorcycle Courses;

Courses have been delivered by the Road Safety Group and are constantly being redesigned and upgraded to address all types of bikers needs.

Level 1 – predominantly aimed at pre-test riders, this course is designed to give the basic level of instruction following Compulsory Basic Training.

Level 2 – aimed at the more experienced rider, designed to raise confidence levels especially for riders returning to biking.

Level 3 – a more advanced level of course designed to raise awareness levels and enhance existing skills and abilities.

Motorcyclists also receive training on Speed Awareness and Driver Improvement Courses.  In total 720 motorcyclists have received training.

The RiDE (Rider Development Scheme) motorcycle intervention has been developed on behalf of the National Casualty Reduction Forum and is being piloted in Lancashire. The RiDE course can be offered to a motorcyclist by Lancashire Constabulary as an alternative to prosecution for a Section 3 offence. The course has been piloted with 35 volunteers and from 24 May 2006 motorcyclists in Lancashire have been subject to this approach.

Driver Training courses;

Speed Awareness Course; The Lancashire Speed Awareness Course came into operation in June 2001. It is based on referrals from the Lancashire Constabulary of drivers/riders caught by the safety cameras. The aim of the course is to explore the possible reasons why drivers/riders speed and to prevent recurrence. To date, 60,643 people have attended. Feedback has shown that many drivers have been glad of the opportunity of some further driver retraining. Many have been alarmed to realise how much the road and environment situation have changed and how many driver related situations they did not know.

Driver Improvement Scheme; This too is based on referrals from Lancashire Constabulary. Over the last ten years, many local authorities have adopted the scheme including Lancashire County Council which has run this course successfully since 1997. Up to 30 June 2006, 6,289 people have attended a course.

Pre Pass Support Scheme (PSA Project); Lancashire County Council has implemented a new course, the Pre Pass Support Scheme, aimed at drivers who accompany learner drivers, whether parents, relatives or friends. The theory part of the course focuses primarily on the main causes of crashes involving the 17-25 age range. It offers helpful advice and information to the accompanying drivers on the difficulties that learners face, the responsibility of the accompanying driver, levels of instruction, stages of learning, the requirement of the driving test and post test Pass Plus training. Since the start of the scheme in 2004, 236 accompanying drivers and 173 learners have attended the course. A comprehensive CD ROM of the scheme has been produced. Cranfield University.is researching the effectiveness of the scheme.

Fleet Services; The Road Safety Group is fully accredited to deliver Fleet Trainer training and delivers it to both the private and public sectors.

Right Start Child Pedestrian Training;

We have  completion of a 3 year research project into the effectiveness of the Right Start Child Pedestrian training programme. It wan a Prince Michael International Road Safety Award.

Speed Awareness Course;

This course is leading the way in establishing a national model for the delivery of Speed Awareness. Staffordshire University is conducting research on the effectiveness of the speed awareness interventions. The course was awarded a Prince Michael International Road Safety Award.

National Influence;

For the last 3 years the Road Safety Group Manager has been the chairperson of the umbrella group of all service providers of DIMP courses (ANDISP). He still continues to serve on the management team of the Association. The Road Safety Group Manager has taken the lead on the Multi Agency Task Group to develop the RiDE course targeting motorcyclists.  The course is now operational in Lancashire.

Pre Pass support Scheme;

We established a 3 year research project to determine the effectiveness of the Pre Pass Support Scheme with Cranfield University.

Fleet Trainer Accreditation;

We achieved accredited Fleet Trainer status in 2003, one of only 12 nationally. Fleet Training has been delivered to the following companies; Lancashire County Council staff, Rohill vehicles, British Nuclear Fuels, Johnson Matthey, Learning Skills Council, Enterprise, Dorman, Chorley Library.

The Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety was established in 2001 with the remit of tackling the three main causes of road casualty; speed, drink driving and the non-wearing of seat belts. A robust communications strategy has supported both police enforcement and the DfT THINK! Campaign. This strategy also provides scope for a local perspective to be placed on these campaigns. Regular campaigns are undertaken in all three subject areas and they are coordinated across the partnership area to ensure the maximum and most effective coverage. They have proved effective in raising awareness and have achieved excellent coverage in the local media.

The Group has a dedicated team of communication specialists. Their aim is to promote road safety messages to inform, educate and encourage improved road safety behaviour and attitudes to all road users, and to be inclusive of social, religious and ethnic backgrounds.

The Group supports national and local publicity initiatives under the banner of THINK!  It provides a forum for sharing and developing MORR (Managing Occupational Road Risk) initiatives in Lancashire based companies and organisations. It supports community based projects including 20 mph zones.

In addition to the standard delivery of Right Start, additional funding was secured to target schools in areas of disadvantage that were encountering problems implementing Right Start. This has resulted in 66 schools and 4,320 extra children receiving training.

In response to the introduction of the National Cycling Standard and the award to Lancaster of Cycling Demonstration Town status, the Road Safety Group is working with Lancaster’s Cycle Steering Group to pilot the Standard in participating Lancaster schools. This will involve delivering training at Level 1+2 in 2006 to 8 Primary schools and 2 High schools which equates to 860 pupils. The Group is working towards becoming an accredited cycle training body.

In response to the growing numbers of motorcyclist being injured on Lancashire’s roads which follows the national trend, the Road Safety Group and Lancashire Constabulary have entered into a Local Area Agreement.

The planned activity will include;

• Offering new Compulsory Basic Training clients an assessment ride within the first few weeks of riding. Target; 625 over the LAA period.
• Provision of subsidised training courses for CBT clients.
• Riders of high powered/sports bike riders to be offered an assessment ride following referral from Police for riding inappropriately rather than dangerously. Target; 625 clients over the period of the LAA.
• Provision of subsidised further training.