2013 Progress Report

2013 was, and as has been noted elsewhere, a year of change for all involved in road safety in Scotland, and it is to the credit of all partners that activity contributing towards the delivery of the 96 commitments was as abundant and professional as it ever has been. 36 commitments are now complete and have been delivered, 32 are continuous, 21 have been started, 5 have been achieved but will need to be revisited annually to check, and just 2 have not been started yet. A snapshot of activities undertaken in 2013 across partner organisations to meet the commitments is shown below in table 1.

**Table 1: Delivery of road safety commitments in 2012**
CATEGORY: Children and Young People TERM: S/M/L
COMMITMENT
Investigate, report and implement ways to help ensure schoolchildren's safety when getting on and off school buses.
PROGRESS IN 2013
One Second One Life: Aberdeenshire Council's Transport Strategy Unit funded screenings of the
"1 Second 1 Life" TV advert as part of the ongoing "Bus Stop!" Campaign, during December 2013.
The aim is to increase the safety awareness of young people crossing roads after disembarking from buses and focuses on the risks of being distracted by things such as listening to music and/or checking phones. It also highlights the need for drivers to be vigilant at all times.
The advert forms part of a wider campaign which also includes an education pack which includes a DVD entitled "1 Second 1 Life", a booklet for teachers with lesson plans for school pupils from P1 to S6, posters and a website.
Schools across Scotland are able to tap into the resource via the website, which hosts an electronic version of the teaching pack and a copy of the ad. In 2014 this resource will be reviewed.
CATEGORY: Speed
COMMITMENT
Continue to support the Safety Camera Programme.
PROGRESS IN 2013
A comprehensive review of the Scottish Safety Camera Programme commenced in August 2013 and is scheduled to report in spring 2014.
CATEGORY: Trunk Roads
COMMITMENT
Examine the possibility for further rollout of TRISS.
PROGRESS IN 2013
An additional Trunk Road Incident Support Service (TRISS) vehicle has been provided by Transport Scotland, through Tranche 2 of the 4G Operating Company contracts. This allows extended coverage to the north of the Forth, taking the number of vehicles operating to 7.
CATEGORY: Trunk Roads
COMMITMENT
Continue to invest in junction improvement schemes.
PROGRESS IN 2013
Transport Scotland is committed to improving the safety provision around junctions on the trunk road network.
Many of the sites are identified through the annual assessment of accidents (Moving Cursor Programme). However, we will use the accident data and supporting information to inform the programme of potential improvements for not only SRS but also other areas of TS.
We are working with our operating companies to update the Moving Cursor Programme and deliver improvements arising from it. We also work with developers to ensure their developments mitigate their impacts on the trunk road network, by making appropriate improvements to the network where necessary.
CATEGORY: Trunk Roads
COMMITMENT
Consider the most appropriate barriers to protect vulnerable users such as motorcyclists.
PROGRESS IN 2013
Transport Scotland has installed a number of motorcycle friendly barriers during the last year.
Transport Scotland has also completed a study on motorcycle accidents within the north west unit and that has identified potential locations for more.
Transport Scotland is promoting variable message signs for motorcycles and installing additional protection for motorcyclists on barriers where there are benefits from doing so.
CATEGORY: Trunk Roads
COMMITMENT
Continue to consider and implement a range of proactive risk removal strategies to reduce the severity and frequency of impacts with hazards.
PROGRESS IN 2013
Transport Scotland has undertaken work under its RARP (Route Accident Reduction Plan) for routes including the A92 and A75. We have also updated the Moving Cursor Programme (MCP) with our 4 operating companies and are working with them to introduce new signs and barriers where these as appropriate as part of our accident reduction programmes.
The MCP is a software tool for screening accident records on the entire trunk road network in order to identify accident cluster sites. The MCP is run annually and, traditionally, formed the basis for the identification of the annual programme of Accident Investigation and Prevention (AIP) works.
CATEGORY: Children and Young People
COMMITMENT
Fund Road Safety Scotland to develop innovative road safety educational resources (including a new resource for pupils in lower secondary school and a new Early Years resource to replace the Children's Traffic Club in Scotland).
PROGRESS IN 2013
The Junior Road Safety Officers (JRSO) scheme: Early in 2013 there was a competition to design an International JRSO badge. 74 schools took part and the winning design was from Stoneyhill Primary in Musselburgh. The JRSO website was further developed with a focus on supporting schools and the enhancement of the section on the UN Decade of Action.
In addition, The RSS lower secondary school resource, Your Call, was reviewed in 2013. The review confirmed that the resource was being widely used, and was effective in reinforcing road safety messages amongst S1-S4 school pupils. Within this group, younger pupils agreed that it had influenced them to change their attitude and behaviour while out on the roads.
The key recommendations arising from this review were: consider developing a complementary online resource; produce an updated DVD; and consider a national re-launch.
CATEGORY: Pedal Cyclists
COMMITMENT
Ensure that all road users receive appropriate education and training messages about safer cycling in the road environment, including journeys to and from school and in residential areas.
PROGRESS IN 2013
Cycling Scotland's Give Me Cycle Space campaign was launched on 22 April 2013 by cycling legend Mark Beaumont, the campaign asked drivers across Scotland to look out for children cycling to school. The campaign targeted drivers, parents, and children, and highlighted the amount of space drivers should allow bikes on the road - 1.5 metres, the same width as a car.
As well as making other road users aware of young cyclists, the campaign encouraged more children to get on their bikes for a healthier, fitter lifestyle. The campaign was run from April to June to coincide with Bikeability Scotland training, and ran in 15 local authority areas. The campaign ran on TV, radio, press and outdoor formats, supported by branding at schools, visits from the Riderz stunt team, travel planning and mapping where available.
CATEGORY: Drivers Aged 17-25 TERM: S/M/L
COMMITMENT
Continue to look for innovative ways to target young drivers with appropriate messages about safe driving to increase their awareness and understanding of their vulnerability and the dangers they face due to inexperience.
PROGRESS IN 2013
Safe Drive Stay Alive productions were staged in Fife, Tayside, and Grampian regions in 2013. Safe Drive Stay Alive is a Community Safety Partnership project first run in Scotland in 2002. It was proposed to further educate young drivers in Scotland by using a more innovative and hard-hitting approach than was already in place. To this effect, the roadshow was devised in such a way that it would be full-on, hard-hitting, realistic and highly emotive.
This year has seen Safe Drive Stay Alive Fife win two national awards for its contribution in reducing Fife road casualty numbers within 16-25 year olds. The 'Safe Drive Stay Alive' roadshow won the Most Effective Road Safety, Traffic Management and Enforcement Project at this year's Scottish Transport Awards and also won an award in the Early Intervention Category at this year's Safer Community Awards 2013.
CATEGORY: Children and Young People
COMMITMENT
Fund Road Safety Scotland to develop innovative road safety educational resources (including a new Early Years resource to replace the Children's Traffic Club in Scotland).
PROGRESS IN 2013
Following a tendering process, Theatre & Learning were awarded the contract to provide the TiE programme over the next two (2+1) years. The company is an experienced Theatre in Education provider and has successfully completed the Roddy Hogg and Friends Disunited tours, and early feedback from road safety units and schools was very good.
Please note: In relation to this commitment, the Children's Traffic Club was replaced in 2011 by the "Go Safe With Ziggy" range of early years educational resources.
CATEGORY: Drivers, Age 17-25
COMMITMENT
Continue to look for innovative ways to target younger drivers with appropriate messages about safe driving to increase their awareness and understanding of their vulnerability and the dangers they face due to inexperience.
PROGRESS IN 2013
RSS 2013 parental influence campaign, "Kids in the Car". Ground-breaking campaign emphasising to parents the importance of their role in forming their children's in car attitudes and behaviours from a very young age. One of the core campaign messages was that "Your child starts learning to drive as soon as you put them in a car." This campaign ran over the summer, aiming to target the way parents drive in front of their children.
CATEGORY: Impairment - Drink Driver TERM: S/M/L
COMMITMENT
Continue to work in partnership with Police Scotland and other partners, including the private sector to provide publicity in support of enforcement initiatives by Scottish police forces.
PROGRESS IN 2013
In December 2013 the Scottish Government and Road Safety Scotland supported the annual Police Scotland festive drink - and drug-drive campaign. A television and radio advertising campaign was aired to emphasise the consequences of drink-driving. This year's campaign focused on the fact that if you're convicted of drink-driving you'll get a 20-year minimum criminal record, which can have a huge effect on your ability to work and generate income, thereby putting an incredible strain on your lifestyle, your finances and even on your relationships. A four-week campaign, launched on 6 December, targeted those who drive under the influence of alcohol. This was in addition to the Summer Drink-Drive Campaign, which in 2013 ran for two weeks in June.
CATEGORY: Children and Young People TERM: S/M/L
COMMITMENT
Call on UK Government to consider any strengthening of legislation in relation to school transport.
PROGRESS IN 2013
Ministers will shortly approach the UK Government with the aim of progressing a section 30(2) Order of the Scotland Act 1998 to devolve competence in relation to dedicated school transport and associated safety measures.
CATEGORY: People who Drive for Work / Working Together TERM: S/M/L
COMMITMENT
Encourage and support the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) (Scotland) with the formation of the Scottish Occupational Road Safety Alliance (ScORSA) in order to raise employers' awareness of the need to have a policy on the Management of Occupational Road Risk (MORR). Consider, with partners, local pilots of initiatives for evaluation and promulgation of results across Scotland.
Provide road safety and speed awareness sessions for Scottish Government staff.
PROGRESS IN 2013
We have contributed £20,000 from the Road Safety Framework budget, towards the cost of Glasgow City Council's "Drive Safe It's Your Business" Project. This will support local SMEs in the management of occupational road risk. This scheme will be evaluated, and is being run in partnership with RoSPA and the Centre for Healthy Working Lives.
MORR policy for Transport Scotland Now in place. We have already run some events for TS staff. E-Learning Module also available for staff.
CATEGORY: Motorcyclists TERM: M
COMMITMENT
Encourage training and support for motorcyclists, e.g. through Bikesafe and other advanced rider training schemes.
PROGRESS IN 2013
The Operation Zenith partnership launched the project again in 2013, after the initiative helped slash the number of motorcyclists killed or seriously injured by 28% over the previous two years.
The scheme - the first of its kind in Scotland - once again ran throughout the summer months until October, during what is the busiest time of the year for bikers.
The multi-agency initiative involves the North East Safety Camera Unit, Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeenshire Council and Moray Council, the Association of Motorcycle Dealers for the North East of Scotland, Bear (Scotland) and Aberdeenshire Community Safety Partnership, working in partnership.
CATEGORY: Speed TERM: M
COMMITMENT
Encourage local authorities to consider 20 mph zones in all residential areas.
PROGRESS IN 2013
Transport Scotland assisted the City of Edinburgh Council with the evaluation of its 20 mph speed limit pilot scheme in South Central Edinburgh, which designated all side streets, and some of the main routes in the area as 20 mph. We funded 50% of speed limit survey costs for the baseline trial (which amounted to £6,880) and we have also agreed to provide £7,780 for the final evaluation of the project. The CEC has indicated a significant degree of interest in their project from other local authorities. The trial ran for approximately one year from 23 March 2012, and the final report was issued on 27 August 2013.
CATEGORY: Working Together
COMMITMENT
Consider, with partners, local pilots of initiatives for evaluation and promulgation of results across Scotland.
Encourage and support the use of intelligence-led road safety targeting.
PROGRESS IN 2013
Evaluation Support: Training Partners to Evaluate Road Safety Interventions - Transport Scotland and the Community Safety Unit in the Scottish Government's Justice Directorate have jointly put in place a framework contract, which allows us to offer this support for external partners such as Road Safety Officers and the Fire and Rescue Service. This work also seeks to facilitate skills transfer, so that those who those who receive this training and support are encouraged to pass these evaluation skills to others. Three projects were completed in 2013.
CATEGORY: Working Together
COMMITMENT
Encourage and support the use of intelligence-led road safety targeting.
PROGRESS IN 2013
MAST Licence for 2013-14 purchased at a cost of £13,000. In addition, Transport Scotland arranged to supply MAST with the final Scotland Stats 19 data as used for the production of Reported Road Casualties Scotland, to include within MAST. This was done in order to make sure that that data used in MAST is more reliable from a Scottish perspective. This online tool allows interrogation of statistics by home post code, and assist with the planning of road safety interventions.
CATEGORY: Pedal Cyclists TERM: S
COMMITMENT
Ensure that all road users receive appropriate education and training messages about safer cycling in the road environment, including journeys to and from school and in residential areas.
PROGRESS IN 2013
We provided £260,000, from the Road Safety Framework budget, towards the cost of Cycling Scotland's "Mutual Respect" media campaign, which ran in August and September 2013.
CATEGORY: Impairment TERM: S
COMMITMENT
Continue to press the UK Government for a reduction in the drink-drive limit and for powers for the police to carry out breath testing anytime, anywhere.
PROGRESS IN 2013
Legislation to reduce the legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit from 80mg/100ml to 50mg/100ml will be brought forward when technical issues are resolved, principally the type approval of roadside breath testing equipment to allow a new limit to be implemented.
CATEGORY: Rural Roads TERM: S
COMMITMENT
Continue to publicise the risks associated with driving and riding on rural roads and warn drivers of potential dangers.
Continue to support targeted enforcement campaigns on rural roads.
PROGRESS IN 2013
Road Safety Scotland launched a new "Country Roads" Campaign" on 4 March 2013, fronted by David Coulthard. This campaign received a Prince Michael International Road Safety Award. This was an integrated social marketing campaign aimed primarily at male drivers aged 22-40. It was aimed at motivating drivers to adjust their speed on country roads. The campaign was fronted by David Coulthard and ran on TV, cinema, radio, social media, online and through field marketing and PR. The campaign re-ran in September 2013.
CATEGORY: Children and Young People TERM: S
COMMITMENT
Investigate, report and implement ways to help ensure schoolchildren's safety when getting on and off school buses.
PROGRESS IN 2013
Transport Scotland commissioned a review of the extent to which "A Guide to Improving School Transport Safety", has been used by local authorities, and how useful it is. The final evaluation of the use and effectiveness of this guide was published on the Transport Scotland website on 5 March 2013. In addition, workshops were run in September and October 2013 to assist local authorities with developing appropriate approaches to school transport safety.
CATEGORY: Seatbelts TERM: S
COMMITMENT
Continue to educate and encourage drivers to ensure that children are properly restrained in cars and vans.
PROGRESS IN 2013
Road Safety Scotland's Child In-car Safety Campaign continued this year, including the Good Egg Guide and website, Europe's first Smartphone App for advice on car seat safety, and use of social media. The campaign has also worked hard to ensure that it covers all children up until the height/age when an adult seatbelt is appropriate.
CATEGORY: Working Together TERM: M
COMMITMENT
Encourage and support the use of intelligence-led road safety targeting.
PROGRESS IN 2013
Throughout the year, RoSPA has continued to develop the first SQA Qualification for road safety practitioners in Scotland. The SQA units are linked to the commitments within Scottish Government Road Safety Framework to 2020, and will help to introduce a benchmark for quality assurance for road safety service delivery. It is expected that this qualification will be launched in spring 2014.