9 Conclusion
52. The period since the Coalition
Government took office has seen the first increase in road fatalities
since 2003, despite there having been no overall increase in road
traffic. This is a worrying development and raises questions
about the Government's road safety strategy. These casualty figures
should be a wake-up call for the Government to step up and provide
stronger leadership in the road safety field. The Minister, Mike
Penning MP, told us that success of his strategy could be judged
by seeing a reduction in road casualties. From the latest figures,
it would appear there is a risk that the strategy is insufficient.
In the response to this report, we recommend that the Government
outlines why it thinks road deaths increased in 2011.
53. The Government's vision is for the UK to
remain a world leader in road safety. It hopes to achieve this
by "giving local authorities the tools they need to tackle
problems on their networks, rather than dictating specific solutions
to them".[150]
Road safety targets have played an important role in driving
the UK's positive road safety record, a point which Mr Penning
himself acknowledged. However, we understand Mr Penning's position
that continual improvements in road safety can be driven without
a specific target. Indeed, the variability in local authority
performance over the period for which road safety targets have
been in operation highlights that there are factors beyond targets
which help drive improvements in road safety. Our evidence suggests
that the principal factor is political leadership. If there is
a strong message from central government that road safety is a
priority and this is high on the agenda at a local level, then
safer roads are more achievable. For some, those messages are
clearest when it is in the form of targets. If the Government
is not going to adopt this approach, then it should be making
more effort to provide leadership in other ways. Unfortunately,
this has not happened. There have been a number of mixed messages
on road safety from the Government. It is telling that Mr Penning
himself struggled to clarify some of the goals of his strategy
to us. The public and the road safety sector must surely be similarly
confused.
54. Localism is a key part of the Government's
road safety strategy. The Government believes local authorities
have a better understanding of the needs of their local communities
and should be more responsive to those needs. The strategy therefore
gives "local authorities more freedom to assess and act on
their own priorities".[151]
However, there are a number of challenges currently faced by
local authorities which may undermine their ability to deliver
road safety outcomes. In particular, reductions in funding are
putting pressure on the availability of money for road safety
initiatives and of staff with the expertise to enact them. To
encourage local authorities to improve road safety at a local
level, the Government intends to produce guidance and facilitate
the sharing of best practice by creating an online portal for
road safety professionals. The effectiveness of this initiative
may be limited by the loss of local authority road safety officers
and their expertise. Mr Penning also told us of plans to name
and shame the worst performing local authorities, though we have
not yet seen this plan progressed. Since the Government's broader
localism agenda seeks to encourage local decision making, we are
unclear as to exactly what influence the Department for Transport
can exert on the process by which local authorities decide to
allocate resources. In addition, though a localist approach can
be appropriate for responding to local needs, there are other
areas in which the DfT should play a more active role in securing
cross-Government action, for example in pushing forward technological
developments or providing appropriate infrastructure.
55. Road accidents are the leading cause of death
for young people aged 16-24. The Government has failed to grasp
the nettle in this area. Despite having told that us action to
improve young driver road safety would be given significant importance,
the strategy does not deliver this. The Government should be
taking more radical action to address this situation.
56. The Government's strategy highlights cyclists
as a group in need of particular action to improve their road
safety. On this, we agree. However, there does not appear to
be a defined action plan to reduce cycle casualties. This perhaps
highlights a tension between the Government's aims and its localism
agenda. Whilst the Government may wish to prioritise cycle safety,
the measures to achieve that, particularly in the provision of
infrastructure, appear to fall largely outside the DfT's remit.
57. The Strategic Framework sets out a role of
central Government in providing information for the public.[152]
Information campaigns have been successful in the past and the
THINK! brand has become well-recognised. Such campaigns are expected
to continue as part of the Government's road safety strategy.[153]
Mr Penning told us that consideration was being given to the
possibility of THINK! campaigns for young drivers and cyclists.[154]
The Government should update
us regarding the development of new advertising campaigns for
road safety, particularly on how it intends to engage with social
media to help improve public awareness.
58. The DfT must make greater efforts to encourage
the cross-Government working that is necessary to establish the
importance of road safety and secure the necessary outcomes.
Whilst the Government has made several announcements regarding
the provision of funding for cycle safety, there has been little
detail provided as to the schemes which will benefit from this
funding, the timescale for implementation, or the desired results.
59. A year has now passed since
the publication of the Strategic Framework for Road Safety. The
next version is due in September 2012.[155]
This provides an
opportunity to include a number of areas insufficiently addressed
in the original strategy - including engineering measures to improve
road design and technological research. It is also an opportune
time for the Government to publish an update of its progress against
the action plan and outcomes framework, to clarify its vision,
highlight areas of local authority innovation or best practice,
and reassess the strategy in light of recent worrying casualty
numbers.
150 Ev 86 para 3 Back
151
Ev 86 para 10 Back
152
Strategic Framework p38 Back
153
Strategic Framework p55 Back
154
Q 447 Back
155
Ev 88 DfT Back
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