The end of the road?

Local investment in road safety in England

Local authorities in England spend around £4 billion on roads each year. They are responsible for 98 per cent of the road network and have a duty to maintain roads and promote road safety.

Some councils are very successful in prioritising road safety, delivering innovative work and reducing casualties, while others struggle to keep pace. The reduction in government spending has added pressure on how local councils prioritise their budgets, and has raised concerns that some authorities are cutting road safety disproportionately.

This report looks at local investment in roads and road safety within the context of reductions in government spending. It hopes to open up a debate on local performance, spending decisions and local priorities. Although it is too early to understand the impact of government cuts on road safety, we hope this report begins to track how investment is affected.

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Don’t poke me I’m driving

The risk mobile phones pose to driver safety is well evidenced, however, no research has been carried out on the use of web applications which are now available via smartphones. The IAM commissioned TRL (the Transport Research Laboratory) to investigate the effects of using facebook on a smartphone whilst driving. Our summary paper discusses the results and some of the wider issues around mobile phone use.

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The fast and the curious

Research on young people's attitudes to road safety and further driver training is limited. The IAM commissioned a study from the Transport Research Laboratory to carry out an in-depth study on young novice drivers' attitudes and driving behaviour. Our summary paper discusses the findings and looks at the wider context of young driver issues, highlighting some key results and policy suggestions.

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Social Impact Evaluation using Social Return on Investment 2011

IAM Motorcycle Simulator Stedmon Report

This study used the only motorcycle simulator in the UK to assess safe riding performance in laboratory controlled conditions. The findings show that IAM trained riders take up safer road positions, stick to speed limits in urban areas but are also able to ride faster through rural bends.

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Contributory factors report

Since 2005, official accident records have included additional information on contributory factors which are designed to provide insights into why and how road crashes happen. Our new report looks at hundreds of thousands of police crash reports to pick out the top ten crash contributory factors for a range of road, vehicle and driver types.

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Who's in the driving seat

Whos in the driving seat? found that women and men arent so different when it comes to driving behaviours and attitudes. Based on a survey of over 1000 drivers it found that men and women enjoy driving, and rate themselves to be confident, considerate and safe behind the wheel, but almost twice as many men as women claim to be very confident. Both sexes are equally likely to admit to speeding, poor parking behaviour or losing their temper. Driving on motorways or in heavy traffic can be nerve wracking for some women drivers and many remain happy to let their partner fuel and maintain the car and do all the paperwork.

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IAM Motoring Facts 2010

The latest and most definitive reference guide to life on the UKs roads from the IAMs Policy and Research Division. With an accessible database of thousands of statistics, IAM motoring facts is a comprehensive one-stop reference for anyone from transport professionals to students.

The latest report is an update of the previous IAM Motoring Facts and is compiled from official accident reports and other authoritative sources. Click on the section below to get the latest information.

• Deaths and injuries on Britains roads - click here to see the report or click here to see the News Release
• Younger and older road users - click here to download full report
• Britains roads - click here to download full report
• Vehicles on Britains roads - click here to download full report
• Traffic on Britains roads - click here to download full report
• Driving licences, driving test and motoring offences - click here to download full report
• Motoring Taxation & public spending - click here to download full report
• New Cars & other vehicles - click here to download full report
• Journeys we make - click here to download full report
• How much we spend on motoring and travel - click here to download full report or click here to see the News Release
• Company Cars - click here to download full report
• Toxic emissions & noise - click here to download full report
• Energy and CO2 emissions - click here to download full report
• Comparison - Englands regions, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - click here to download full report
• International Comparisons - click here to download full report

Motorists who rely on their basic L-test as a motoring "passport for life" are more likely to blame others when they are involved in incidents or minor accidents, according to a key piece of research by Brunel University in West London.

Previous research has shown that drivers who regularly blame others for near-misses instead of taking responsibility for their own part in such incidents are more likely to be involved in fatal road accidents.

The Brunel study, carried out by Professor Neville Stanton, Dr Guy Walker, Dr Tara Kazi and Dr Mark Young shows that drivers who improve their abilities behind the wheel are less likely to "play the blame game" and more likely to read the road and expect the unexpected.

Nearly 70% of drivers who received advanced coaching showed significantly safer skills in a number of key areas, including cornering, gear changing, seating position, safe distances, use of mirrors and speed, according to the scientific comparison of normal and advanced drivers.

The IAM commissioned the study to examine whether advanced coaching can be proven to change drivers' attitudes, skills and knowledge.

"This research shows that motorists who think that simply accumulating years of experience on the road is enough to improve their driving are wrong," said Peter Rodger, IAM Chief Examiner.

"What makes the difference is having extra coaching, just as it would be in any other activity.

"Drivers are more likely to blame chance or bad luck, if the only training they've ever had is those early driving lessons. But they're more likely to take responsibility for avoiding and responding to incidents if they've taken the trouble to try to improve their skills later in life.

"In a measure of people's attitude towards whether they believe they are controlled by luck or chance, or have 'self' control over their actions - normal drivers score 60% worse than drivers with advanced coaching, and show significantly more of the attitude that previous research has shown to be implicated in involvement in fatal accidents."

Copies of this report are available on request.

Older Drivers - Safe or Unsafe?

Drivers over 70 are no more likely to cause crashes than any other driver, and are considerably safer than younger drivers, according to a report published today by the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists).

Neil Greig, IAM Director of Policy and Research said: The report contradicts the common assumption that older drivers are a danger on the roads. Just eight per cent of drivers are over 70 and they are involved in around four per cent of injury crashes; but of the 15 per cent of drivers who are in their teens and 20s, 34 per cent are involved in injury crashes.

To view or download the brochure click here

Motorcycling Facts Report

In the seven years between 2000 and 2006, around 150,000 motorcyclists were killed or injured on Britains roads. This report highlights key findings from the analysis of the information gathered by the police at the crash scene and recorded in the official statistics.Motorcycling can be the riskiest way to travel. For every kilometre travelled, a motorcyclist is fifty times more likely to become a casualty than a car driver.

This latest IAM study reviews and reappraises the risk. It analyses 150,000 motorcycle casualties over seven years, highlights where and when motorcyclists are most at risk and explains why they become casualties.

To view and download the brochure, click here

To read or download the full report, click here

Cycling Motorists Report

Against a background of growing traffic congestion, increasing health and fitness concerns, as well as a need to reduce CO2 emissions Cycling Motorists answers the key questions on which policies would encourage or discourage motorists to consider cycling as an alternative to the car.

The report identifies the enormous potential for many more motorists to take up cycling either for leisure or to replace some car journeys. Getting more motorists riding instead of driving could give cycling its biggest boost in popularity.

To view and download the full report, click here

Young Drivers - Where and when they are unsafe

Young drivers where and when they are unsafe compares drivers between 17 and 70 in an analysis of almost a quarter of a million KSI crashes between 2000 and 2006. The study reveals where, when and why young drivers die or are seriously injured on the roads

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To view and download the full research report click here

16 - the dangerous age for moped riders

This report has been commissioned by the IAM Motoring Trust to investigate road accident casualties among 16 year old moped riders in Great Britain. The study analyses the details of 1,888 16 year old moped riders who were killed or seriously injured on the roads between 2000 and 2006.

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To view the full report click here

IAM Motoring Facts

The definitive reference guide to life on the UKs roads has been published by the IAMs Policy and Research Division, the IAM Motoring Trust. With an accessible database of thousands of statistics, IAM motoring facts is a comprehensive one-stop reference for anyone from transport professionals to students with an interest in motoring. Information includes: vehicle numbers; environmental impacts; taxation levels; driving licences; official forecasts and global comparisons.

The latest report is an update of the previous IAM motoring facts and now includes access to a huge underlying database access via this link. It was compiled from official accident reports and other authoritative sources.

To view and download the full report click here

Barriers to change

This paper is from the international Panel established by EuroRAP to look at safe road design for motorcyclists. The Panel included motoring clubs, motorcycle manufacturers, riders organisations, practitioners, and national and regional road authorities.

The paper shows that motorcycle crashes cost the European economy billions annually and argues that the response is not proportionate to the scale of the problem. It examines crash barriers that routinely save the lives of car occupants but can cause traumatic death to motorcyclists.

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Rural roads report

On an average day, nine people die on Britains roads; six of them are killed on rural roads. But why are roads in the countryside the biggest killers; what are the ingredients in those crashes that make them more dangerous than roads in towns and cities; what are the common factors that point to the causes?

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For a more detailed report click here

Star Rating Europe's Roads for Safety

For the past five years, The AA Motoring Trust has participated in the European Road Assessment Programme (EuroRAP) to rate roads according to the risk to the driver. EuroRAP provides safety ratings that enable high-risk sections of road to be identified and mapped.

To view and download the brochure click here