Agenda item

            The Board received the above presentation from Lisa Scott, Road Safety Officer.

            The presentation introduced the vision, aims, targets and proposed new road safety measures which the Department for Transport believed would help reduce the number of individuals being needlessly killed or seriously injured (KSI) on our roads each year.

            The Road Safety Strategy (post 2010) consultation document followed on from the previous 10 year strategy to reduce road traffic casualties;

            40% reduction in KSI (Killed Seriously Injured);

            50% reduction in CKSI (Children Killed Seriously Injured); and

            10% reduction in Slight Casualties.

            The presentation covered the following:

• National casualty trends -  38% of fatalities occurred on rural A roads with 62% on all rural roads, nearly 60% of all casualties occurred on urban roads;
• The fatal driver behaviours - In 2007 nationally over 700 deaths involved exceeding speed limits or inappropriate speed; 460 people were estimated to have been killed in a drink drive/drug drive accident; careless or dangerous driving contributed to at least 400 road deaths;
• The type and ages of road users;
• Progress made in Halton: the all age KSI trend, Halton CKSI trend and Halton slight injuries trend;
• That the new road safety strategy would contribute to making Britain’s roads the safest in the world;
• The future national focus – reducing the number of road deaths, protecting children and young people, particularly in deprived areas, safety on rural roads and pedestrian and cyclist casualties in our towns and cities, particularly in deprived areas;
• The future focus – protecting motorcyclists, who represented 20% of road fatalities but just 1% of traffic; illegal and inappropriate speed; poor road user behaviour amongst a minority, where drink driving and failure to wear a seatbelt remained a problem; bringing all areas up to the standard of the best;
• The aims of the new strategy – to create a system in which errors on the road did not lead to death or serious injury; focus on those roads, people and behaviours most associated with road deaths; to support responsible road use and tackle irresponsible behaviour; and
• The approach – that the existing legal and regulatory framework established in the previous road safety strategy was broadly fit for purpose; the post 2010 strategy would focus more on delivery; all aimed at bringing the standards of the less safe areas, roads and vehicles up to those of the best;
• What could we achieve – there were four new targets for 2008:

(1)   To reduce road deaths by at least 33% compared to the baseline (2004-2008);

(2)   To reduce the annual total of serious injuries by at least 33% compared to the baseline;

(3)   To reduce the annual total of road deaths and serous injuries to children and young people (aged 0-17) by at least 50% compared to the baseline;

(4)   To reduce by at least 50% the rate of KSI per km travelled by pedestrians and cyclists, compared with the baseline;

• Details of proposed new measures with regards to delivery, rural roads, 20mph limits and zones and safer vehicles.

The consultation document was distributed to Members who were invited to make comments.  It was requested that these be forwarded to M Noone as soon as possible as the deadline for submission of the document was 10 July 2009.

RESOLVED: That

(1)               the presentation and comments made be noted; and

(2)       the proposal for the Strategic Director, Environment in consultation with the Executive Board Member for Planning, Transportation, Regeneration and Renewal to submit any comments to the Department of Transport by the deadline of 14^th July 2009 be endorsed.