New routes to safety: delivering Britain's aggressive casualty reduction target

Venue and date: Royal Society of Arts, London

30 November 2000
Published: 2001

In 1987, a year after the AA Foundation for Road Safety Research was formed, Britain published its first national road casualty reduction target. The challenge then was to reduce road casualties by a third before the millennium. The target helped mobilise a sustained and successful national effort. Deaths and serious injuries were reduced by over a third and, today, Britain has the best overall road safety record of any developed country.

Britain's annual death toll is, however, still over 3,000 people a year and Britain does not rank with the best in preventing child casualties. In spring 2000, the Prime Minister announced a second national casualty reduction target, which set the challenge to reduce road casualties by a further 40 per cent, with a 50 per cent reduction for children, both by the year 2010.

New routes to safety: delivering Britain's aggressive casualty reduction target describes the programme that the Foundation proposes to contribute to help achieve the second national target.

KEYNOTE SPEECH

Formula Zero: rejecting acceptance of death and serious injury

Max Mosley, President FIA and Chairman NCAP

THE AA FOUNDATION PROGRAMME

9 years 1 month and counting: the action needed

John Dawson, AA Foundation Managing Director

THE VEHICLE - Part One

Developing crash protection

Dr Wilfried Klanner, Director Technical Services, ADAC

THE GOVERNMENT'S STRATEGY

The Government's Road Safety Strategy

Lord Whitty, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State

THE VEHICLE - Part Two

Applying technology for safety

André Rault, Secretary General, EUCAR

Reducing injury to pedestrians and cyclists

Graham Lawrence, Head, Pedestrian Protection Research, TRL

THE ROAD

A European Road Assessment Programme

David Lynam, Head of Safety Department, TRL

Understanding drivers and speed

David Silcock, Divisional Director, Babtie Ross Silcock

Developing the speed template

Dr Rod Kimber, AA Foundation Technical Director

THE BEHAVIOUR

Children

Where, how and why children have accidents

Dr Rod Kimber, AA Foundation Technical Director

Reducing injuries to children

Howard Sherriff, A&E Consultant, Addenbrooke's Hospital

Elderly Road Users

Helping the older driver

Professor Patrick Rabbitt, University of Manchester

Road accidents and elderly people

Dr Kit Mitchell, Independent Consultant

The GP's dilemma

Dr James Bevan, AA Senior Medical Consultant

Young Drivers

Making unsafe drivers safe drivers

Professor Frank McKenna, University of Reading

THE STRATEGY

Developing practical policy

John Plowman, Director, Road Safety and Environment, DETR

There were two discussion sessions, one following the third presentation on The Road and the second following The Strategy.