Priority Focus Areas: Further Activity

Alongside the Framework funded activities, PFA were further supported by a number of other projects. For the sake of brevity, the commitments have not been reiterated below.

Speed

Road Safety Policy

The SG are committed to reducing risk on Scotland’s roads and recognise the impact of vehicle speed. Originally produced in January 2015, in conjunction with SCOTS, the Good Practice Guide on 20mph speed restrictions was updated in 2016. The Guide aims to ensure greater consistency on setting 20mph speed restrictions throughout Scotland, and encourages LAs to introduce them near schools, in residential zones and in other areas where there is a significant volume of pedestrian and/or cyclist activity.

In 2017, Mark Ruskell MSP (Scottish Green Party, Mid Scotland and Fife) obtained the necessary support to introduce a Member’s Bill to set a 20mph default speed limit in Scotland. The Minister for Transport and the Islands met with Mr Ruskell whose next step involves meeting with other vested parties, including LAs.

Given the varied nature of Scotland’s road network, and the number of factors which need consideration when setting appropriate limits, the SG’s position remains that decisions on 20mph speed limits are best taken at LA level. Nevertheless, the debate is welcome, allowing for the gathering of further evidence on 20mph limits, given that the evidence on the value and effectiveness of 20mph speed limits is still emerging. Specifically, the SG is awaiting the DfT’s evaluation on 20mph in England and Wales.

Road Safety Scotland

RSS re-ran its “Don’t Miss What’s Round the Corner” campaign, focusing on the need to adjust speed accordingly because of the unexpected and changing conditions on country roads.

Scottish Safety camera programme

The role of the Scottish Safety Camera Programme (SSCP) is to help reduce the number of casualties on Scotland’s roads by encouraging improved driver behaviour. Throughout 2017, the SSCP have been involved in a range of activities aimed at ensuring safety cameras are deployed where they have the greatest potential to reduce injury collisions, and where there is evidence of collisions and speeding.

In line with the SSCP Handbook, a national site assessment reviewed sites against both a speeding and collision evidence base. This assessment involved Safety Camera Units (North, East and West) working in collaboration with Road Authorities (including TS as the trunk road authority) and PS to identify, assess and prioritise safety camera sites.

The 2017 site assessment process identified four new sites delivered during 2017 or to become operational in 2018:

Average speed camera (ASC) at Old Dalkeith Road, Edinburgh (September 2017).
Technology change from fixed/mobile sites to ASC on A90 between Dundee and Stonehaven (October 2017).
Fixed camera at Telford Road, Edinburgh (December 2017).
ASC at Polnessan, Ayrshire (winter/spring 2018).

All safety camera enforcement strategies are measured in accordance with the SSCP Handbook.
This involves collecting 3 years of data, pre strategy, and comparing this with data 3 years post strategy. Evaluated evidence is then used to help ensure further measures strategies introduced
are likely to positively influence driver behaviours.

The largest project involved the £2million average speed technology on the A90 corridor between Dundee and Stonehaven. To understand their impact on driver behaviour over time, a series
of bi-directional speed surveys of traffic along the route has been commissioned.

Emerging findings from the first set of surveys indicate ASC are having a significant positive impact on driver behaviour along the route. Before average speed cameras were deployed, around 3-in-5 vehicles were speeding. This figure is now approximately 1-in-100 vehicles, with 98.9% of vehicles complying with the speed limit on the route. In addition, before ASC were deployed 1-in-5 vehicles were estimated to be exceeding the speed limit by 10mph or more. This figure is now approximately 1-in-5000 vehicles.

Motorcyclists

Road Safety Scotland

RSS continued to use the “Live Fast Die Old” tag/campaign on social media to promote its motorcycling activity. Focus remained on bends and overtaking, while work also started for a full marketing campaign to sit alongside PS biking activity in 2018. RSS also worked in partnership with PS to have a substantial presence at the Scottish Motorcycle Show in March, and continued to produce “items for change” to support campaign messaging.

Useful Links:

https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/good-practice-guide-on-20mph-speed-restrictions/

Age

Pre-drivers

Road Safety Scotland

The 2017 review of RSS’s four core learning resources revealed positive feedback, with the resources being considered child friendly and fun, well structured, non-prescriptive, graphically appealing and clearly linked to Curriculum for Excellence. However, challenges with marketing and promotion activity were identified, as well as a need for greater clarity on roles and responsibilities. One of the key recommendations states that leadership is required at national level in order to make strategic decisions that affect local partnership improvements. RSS’s Learning Advisory Group will consider the recommendations and next steps.

Work began on progressing the recommendations from the “Go Safe with Ziggy” resource 2016 evaluation, including improvements to the ordering and distribution process and increased engagement with nursery and primary one class teachers.

The booklet Road Safety within Curriculum for Excellence provides teachers with a quick and easy reference to RSS learning resources and how these link with Curriculum for Excellence experiences and outcomes. The 2017-18 booklet was refreshed and distributed to all educational establishments across Scotland in 2017.

RSS promoted its learning resources at annual events, including the Scottish Learning Festival, Children in Scotland Conference and Scottish Book Trust Bookbug Conference. The resources were further promoted in educational publications such as the Teaching Scotland, TESS and Resource magazines.

In the belief that the process of learning to drive begins early in life, RSS, in conjunction with the Leith Agency and the University of Strathclyde, also piloted an intervention in several schools. The findings will be available in spring 2018.

Drivers aged 17 to 25 and older drivers

Road Safety Scotland

RSS began the process of developing a social marketing campaign for young drivers, which will air in mid-2018. Working with partners, RSS also had a substantial presence at two events popular with young drivers: The Scottish Car Show in July and Ignition Festival of Motoring in August.

Vulnerable road users

Pedestrians and Cyclists

Road Safety Scotland

The “In town, slow down” was developed into a full social marketing campaign and ran in 2017 across TV, radio and digital channels. The campaign encouraged drivers to consider their speed and road position when driving in an urban setting.

Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents Scotland

RSS continued its funding of RoSPA Scotland’s In Car Safety project. This project aims to provide a requisite training programme for road safety professionals and others (mainly from the public sector) in the legislative and practical aspects of in car safety. In 2017, RoSPA delivered six In Car Safety practical workshops throughout Scotland. Those attending exhibited an increased knowledge of legislation and factors impacting on In Car Safety and demonstrated the skills necessary to fit and advise on the safe fitting of child restraints.