Road Safety

Wednesday June 23rd 2010, Central London, 08:45 - 16:05

Road Safety Beyond 2010: Delivering a Safer, Cohesive Road Safety Strategy

Overview

The government has made significant progress in improving road safety since it launched its first ten-year strategy in 2000. Over the past ten years, the government has met its casualty reduction targets.

However, with nearly 3000 people still dying on Britain’s roads every year, the government is keen to introduce measures, based on the latest data, technology and road design, to reduce this figure still further.

Whether as a passenger, driver, rider or pedestrian, road safety affects every family, community and business throughout the country. Researchers from the London School of Hygiene examined data on deaths caused by road traffic collisions and calculated that for a 35 year period between 1971 and 2005, almost 600,000 people in England and Wales were likely to have been left bereaved due to road traffic crashes.

Another study by the London School of Hygiene, published in 2009, estimated that in London alone, 20mph zones save 200 lives a year. However, if plans were introduced to extend 20 mph zones, they could prevent up to 700 casualties every year. The estimated cost to the economy for road-related deaths and serious injuries is put at £3bn.

Agenda

With proposed new targets to halve both the number of child deaths and serious injuries on our roads as well as to cut road deaths by one-third by 2020, this forum will provide delegates with an opportunity to learn , examine and discuss the latest policies and implementation strategies to make Britain’s roads the safest in the world for pedestrians and all road users beyond 2010.

08:45	Registration and Coffee
09:25	Chair’s Opening Remarks Andrew Howard, Head of Road Safety, The Automobile Association (CONFIRMED)
09:30	Beyond 2010: A New Vision for Road Safety Reducing the number of road deaths and casualties: our strategy Enforcement issues: Sir David North’s recommendations R&D: supporting research and development into car safety, road engineering and road surfaces Learning to drive: better training including pre and post qualification Encourage more and safer cycling and walking Steve Gooding, Director General, Motoring and Freight, Department for Transport (invited)
09:50	Safe Driving for Life Modernising driver training Improving the practical test Raising driving standards: Car drivers Lorry drivers Motorcyclists Rosemary Thew, Chief Executive, DSA (Driving Standards Agency) (CONFIRMED)
10:10	Questions and Answers Session
10:20	Cutting Casualties and Improving Safety Key policy priorities Effective performance indicators Better management of information Robert Gifford, Executive Director, Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) (CONFIRMED)
10:40	Reducing Road Traffic Injury using 20mph zones Evidence base: analysing the data 20 mph speed zones: reduction injuries in children and other age groups reduction in injuries to cyclists Effect on injury rates in areas bordering zones 20 mph zones and inequalities in road injury 20 mpn zones vs speed limits possibilities and requirements for evidence Chris Grundy, Lecturer, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (CONFIRMED)
11:00	Safer Roads for All Increasing awareness of the importance of road infrastructure as a life saving measure Promoting the role of safer roads, safer drivers and safer cars Devoting funds to large scale improvements to road infrastructure Reducing death and serious injury through safer road design and layout John Dawson, Chairman, European Road Assesment Programme (EuroRAP) and the International Road Assessment Programme (IRAP) (CONFIRMED)
11:20	Questions and Answers Session
11:40	Coffee and Networking
12:00	Safety in Numbers: Making Cycling Safer Halve the risk of cycling by doubling the numbers who cycle Improve driver behaviour and awareness Make the road environment more welcoming for cyclists Promoting cycling positively Roger Geffen, Campaigns and Policy Director, CTC (CONFIRMED)
12:20	Road Safety: A Local Authority Perspective Driver behaviour: drivers need to be aware of motorcyclists Reduce speed limits: lower speeds reduce severity of injury following a road traffic collision Child pedestrians: parents overestimate ability of children to cope with traffic Cut the drink-drive limit should be cut from 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood to 50mg Road-mapping Alan Kennedy, Chairperson, Road Safety GB (invited)
12:40	Improving Road Safety for Children Beyond 2010: key trends Injury inequalities: children from poorer backgrounds Key intervention strategies: Changing behaviour Community engagement Effective partnership working Ian Evans, Head of Education and Engagement, Child Accident Prevention Trust (CONFIRMED)
13:00	Questions and Answers Session
13:15	Lunch and Networking
14:15	Improving Road Safety: Policing London’s Roads Help to reduce road casualties through patrols and enforcement Figures: road collisions in London Education linked to enforcement using: Enhanced traffic policing for an area with history of collisions or offending Motorcycles: bike safe Cyclists: better road awareness Commercial vehicles Partnership working: working with communities Driving for work: risk assessment Dave Snelling, Chief Superintendent, Traffic Operation Unit Commander, Metropolitan Police (invited)
14:35	Work-Related Road Safety Driver sleepiness: beating driver fatigue Road awareness training for cyclists: vans and lorries have blindspots too VOSA: enforcement checks raise road safety awareness Strategic importance of freight transport to the economy Jo Tanner, Director of Communications, Freight Transport Association (invited)
14:55	Coffee and Networking
15:15	Making Britain’s Roads Safer for Motorcyclists Reducing the number of motorcycle collisions on our roads Driver training: raising standards of motorcyclist awareness Data collection: more detailed accident causation data Targeting bad and dangerous driving Nich Brown, General Secretary, MAG (UK) (CONFIRMED)
15:35	Closing Keynote: Road Safety Innovations in London Economic and social costs of road fatalities and casualties in London Better road safety by design and through intervention The driver The vehicle The road How can technology help? Chris Lines, Transport Consultant and ex-Head, London Road Safety Unit, Transport for London (CONFIRMED)
15:45	Questions and Answers Session
16:05	Close

*programme subject to change without notice

Audience

Delegates will include central government departments and agencies, road safety officers, driving instructors, teachers, youth and community workers, transport planners and managers, logisticians, engineers, transport research organisations, schools and colleges, architects and planners, NHS, PCT, and ambulance, fire and police rescue services, faith, parent, voluntary, community and sports organisations, housing associations, trade unions and think-tanks.