The National Road Safety Conference, held at the Birmingham Hilton Metropole on the 6th and 7th of November, convened essentially every type of person working in road safety in Great Britain to discuss the future of this long-neglected area of public health.
TRL believes this might have been one of the most important of these events in its history.
Notably, Lillian Greenwood (Minister for the Future of Roads) attended in person. Her presence marked the first time a minister had attended in person at the conference in its 14 years history. TRL hopes it signifies a renewed governmental focus on road safety. The tone and content of the Minister's presentation certainly gave cause for optimism, with the phrase 'we are listening' being most welcome, as was the Minister's assurance that she wanted to live up to the kind of leadership shown by Barbara Castle, who was brave enough to introduce Great Britain to seat belt laws, breath tests and motorway speed limits. The confirmation of the Government’s commitment to the first road safety strategy in over a decade is an encouraging first step.
The key themes discussed at the conference, not only in presentations and side discussions but also from the question time panel run on the second day included:
1. The necessity of implementing a true Safe System Approach to road safety in Great Britain (a commitment to Vision Zero)
and
2. As part of this:
- the adoption of a graduated licensing system for new drivers - something that TRL has been calling for, for at least 15 years, as the most effective way of building a licensing system to protect this high risk group
- careful management of traffic speeds within human survivability limits
- the establishment of road safety targets to drive performance improvements.
Of these perhaps the management of speed is the one that did not gain the attention it deserved, which is strange as Anna Vadeby, a keynote speaker from Sweden, had provided insights on the importance of managing traffic speeds to ensure they align with human survivability - an absolutely fundamental component of Safe System thinking. Her presentation highlighted the success of such strategies in reducing road fatalities and enhancing overall safety, and that while public pushback can happen initially, good policy always brings people around when the results are seen. Perhaps this is an area in which GB can learn from Sweden.
The conference also focused on the utilisation of data and behavioural science in road safety. Many speakers explored how advanced data analytics and an understanding of human behaviour (for example through harvesting of vehicle data) could inform more effective road safety strategies and planning. It seems likely that the two 'zeros' (Vision Zero for safety, and Net Zero for carbon) will converge over time, as we realise that safer roads means more active travel (and therefore less car use); this presents an opportunity for the use of data and behavioural science to be trained on both of these outcomes.
The hopeful tone set by the Minister continued throughout the conference, with collaborative discussions and innovative solutions signalling a promising shift towards tangible action. For the first time in many years, many in the road safety community are feeling genuinely optimistic that progress will be made.
TRL’s stand and speakers at the event showcased our work in traffic control and data management software, the Smart Mobility Living Lab in London, and our wider capabilities in running real-world and complex research trials such as this current project on glare and this previous work on young novice drivers, and our other research and services across road asset management, regulation of disruptive technologies such as automation, vehicle safety technology regulation and innovative approaches to behavioural science such as BR-UK.
TRL is well placed to support whatever agenda is brought forward by the new road safety strategy, working with other purpose-driven companies to get road safety improvements finally moving again.
