Recommendations – Safe road use
The following recommendations have been identified through analysis and are presented for consideration:
Education and Awareness
Pedestrians – General
Develop or continue to run campaigns on pedestrian safety
Recommendation 1
- Develop a campaign with a focus on pedestrian safety during autumn and winter months.
- Targeted campaigns should continue to be aware of seasonal differences for pedestrian fatalities.
- Targeted campaigns should be aware of urban and rural settings, and issues relating to the different environments.
- Targeted campaigns should highlight the importance of using pedestrian crossings safely.
- Campaigns could consider re-enforcing the changes to the hierarchy of road users within the Highway Code.
Recommendation 2
- Pedestrian safety education highlighting the dangers of alcohol and drugs as they impair ability and judgement.
Recommendation 3
- Develop a Pedestrian Safety Campaign, with a focus on blind spots in relation to buses, coaches and heavy goods vehicles.
Recommendation 4
- Develop a Pedestrian Safety Campaign, aimed at younger pedestrians (17-25), with a focus on highlighting the importance of travelling home safely after attending social events.
- ‘Travelling home safely’ after attending social events could be considered as a topic within the ‘Curriculum for Excellence’ as part of Road Safety – the senior pupils within High School could be a focus for this teaching.
Foreign Pedestrians
Continue to develop foreign pedestrian materials and distribute at relevant locations
Recommendation 5
- Posters/materials could be developed and displayed in various establishments within popular tourist locations.
- Materials should reinforce the requirement to look in the correct direction prior to crossing the road; and provide an overview of common road layouts, driving practices and the direction of travel of other vehicles.
- Road Safety Scotland has a wealth of materials available in various languages that could be utilised (e.g. Chinese, French, German, Dutch).
Distribute materials for foreign pedestrian at relevant locations – UK Airports and Ferry Ports
Recommendation 6
- Transport Scotland to work in partnership with major UK airports and ferry ports (e.g. Newcastle) to display materials aimed at foreign pedestrians.
- Materials should provide an overview of common road layouts and driving practices, including the direction of travel of other vehicles.
- Materials should also be available on ferries servicing many of Scotland’s islands which are popular with tourists, including Caledonian MacBrayne and Northlink Ferries.
Pedestrians
Use technology to inform
Recommendation 7
- Road Safety Scotland has developed materials in relation to ‘being a safe pedestrian’. The dissemination of these materials should be supported by Transport Scotland and Police Scotland and further utilised where appropriate.
Develop materials targeting socially deprived areas
Recommendation 8
- Campaigns and safety interventions for pedestrians, particularly those aimed at over the age of 75, should be targeted towards more socially deprived areas.
Action
Vehicles – Alcohol/Controlled Drugs
Vehicle Safety, Drink and Drug Testing
Recommendation 9
- Increased policing patrols by Police Scotland officers to undertake roadside stops, breath tests and drug wipes.
Pedestrians
Community Engagement – Safety Initiatives
Recommendation 10
- Consideration should be given to engaging in a campaign to raise awareness of pedestrian visibility and encourage the wearing of high visibility clothing, particularly coming into the winter months and longer hours of darkness and poor visibility.
- Passenger transport hubs (e.g. bus/train stations) could be possible locations to engage with pedestrians prior to, and at the end of, their journeys.
- Consideration should be given to working in partnership with British Transport Police.
Pedestrians
Recommendation 11
- Engage with pedestrians, particularly within cities/towns with a high level of footfall – deliver workshops in relation to buses, coaches and heavy goods vehicles.
Younger Pedestrians
Recommendation 12
- Consideration should be given to engaging with younger pedestrians, with a focus on highlighting the importance of travelling home safely after attending social events.
Vehicle Drivers
Recommendation 13
- Increase driver awareness of vulnerable road users. Work in partnership (Road Policing, Local Policing, Corporate Communications and Road Safety Scotland) to develop a media strategy and campaign to raise awareness of pedestrians. Apply these in conjunction with other initiatives, such as enforcement and legislation, which can contribute to changes in attitudes towards safety risk over the longer term.
- Campaigns could consider highlighting the importance of looking for pedestrians, prior to carrying out any driving manoeuvre.
- Campaigns could consider focusing on the importance of looking for pedestrians at, or near to, pedestrian crossings.
Foreign Pedestrians
Road Safety Messaging – Foreign Pedestrians
Recommendation 14
- Liaise with ferry ports and airports to develop and display materials aimed at tourists travelling to Scotland with relevant road safety messaging.
Pedestrians - General
High Visibility Patrols
Recommendation 15
- Police Scotland to conduct high visibility traffic enforcement operations to target pedestrians’ safety (with a focus on liaising with vehicles).
Recommendation 16
- Police Scotland to conduct locally targeted and proportionate traffic enforcement where pedestrians are seen putting themselves or other road users in danger (with a focus on liaising with pedestrians).
Pedestrians - Education
Community Engagement – Safety Initiatives
Recommendation 17
- Consideration should be given to working with schools and communities to raise awareness of crossing the road safely and highlighting the importance of crossing at appropriate places.
Younger pedestrians
Focus Group – Young Pedestrians
Recommendation 18
- Police Scotland, Transport Scotland and appropriate partners should establish a ‘Young Pedestrians Working Group’ to ensure collaborative working to target and effectively prevent collisions amongst this group of pedestrians.
General
Licensed Premises
Recommendation 19
- Liaise with licensed premises. Develop campaigns, in partnership with licensed premises, to assist pedestrians travelling home after consuming alcohol within pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes. A pilot study could be developed, whereby free ‘glow in the dark wristbands’ (or similar) are provided to those on leaving the premises to increase their visibility.
Pedestrians - Education
Pedestrians accessing the M8 (motorway, Glasgow to Edinburgh)
Recommendation 20
- Consideration should be given to adding appropriate signs at locations where pedestrians can access the M8 between Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Supermarket Car Parks
Engage with Supermarkets in relation to supermarket car parks and pedestrian safe routes
Recommendation 21
- Consideration should be given to engaging with supermarkets, requesting that car parks are assessed to ensure that pedestrian safe routes are in place.
Legislation
Younger Pedestrians
Education
Recommendation 22
- Continue to develop and deliver road safety education to children and young people - ensuring that high quality road safety information is shared at the earliest stages, with a particular focus placed on the risk of vulnerable road users.
Vehicle - General
Driving Standards – Vehicles (Drivers and Riders)
Recommendation 23a
- Working in conjunction with the Driver and Vehicle Standard Agency and DVLA, the potential impact of the introduction of a minimum period of learning and a requirement to demonstrate experience in different driving conditions via logbooks could be considered.
All Road Users
Driving Standards – Theory Test Renewal Certificate
Recommendation 23b
- Working in conjunction with the Driver and Vehicle Standard Agency, consideration could be given to introducing a mandatory theory test every five years which would capture any changes to legislation, and any new legislation.