The RoSPA Guide to Road Safety Projects - October 2007
A first time for everything
On August 17th 1896 44 year old Bridget Driscoll was knocked down and killed by a car on a terrace in the grounds of the Crystal Palace in London. The first fatal road accident recorded in Britain, involving the driver and passengers of a motor car, occurred on the 23 February 1899. While attempting to turn a corner at a speed of over 25mph the car’s wheels collapsed. The occupants were thrown out and the driver and front seat passenger killed. Newspapers of the day hoped that this terrible accident would convince drivers to take greater care and keep their speed down.
The price is.....?
The cost of road accidents in 2003 was estimated to be an incredible £ 18,094 million (£34,000 per minute); this included hospital costs, damage to property and vehicles, police and insurance costs, lost output, and a notional sum for pain, grief and suffering.
Did you know?
- 95% of all road accidents involve some human error. In 76% of road accidents the human is solely to blame.
- Most road accidents could be prevented with care and quite simple common sense actions.
- The majority of road accidents happen in built up areas.
- Between 30% - 40% of all fatal accidents occur on the road.
- The most dangerous hours on the roads on weekdays are the rush hours from 3.00 to 6.00pm, and then 7.00 to 9.00am.
- One in seven people killed on the roads die in drink-drive accidents.
- Most road accidents happen in daylight.
Motor vehicles
In 1901 there were 101,000 motor vehicles in Britain and in 2003 there were over 31 million. Over the same period fatal road accidents have increased from 1,070 to around 3,500. What percentage increases are these? The number of fatal road accidents has not increased as much as the number of motor vehicles for a variety of reasons. In 1909 motor vehicles were not very common, but as they grew more common, people became used to them and the dangers they pose.
Road safety education, training and publicity was introduced to help people cope with those dangers. The design and construction of motor vehicles has improved immensely so that brakes, for instance, are far more effective. Over the years, laws have been introduced (most notably, compulsory driving tests, speed limits, and anti drink-driving laws) to combat specific problems. For example, because so many front seat occupants received terrible injuries in car crashes, it became compulsory to wear a seat belt in the front of a car. What other laws have been introduced and why?
Reported Casualties in 2006
| Killed | All Casualties | |
|---|---|---|
| Motor vehicle users | 1,612 | 171,000 |
| Motorcycle users | 599 | 23,326 |
| Pedestrians | 675 | 30,982 |
| Pedal cycle users | 146 | 16,196 |
| Total * | 3,172 | 258,404 |
* includes horse riders, etc. and “road user not known” casualties
Motorcyclists
The risk of being involved in a road accident is over eight times as great for a motorcycle as for a car, and a motorcyclist is 24 times as likely to be killed or seriously injured per kilometre travelled than a car driver. This is largely due to the relative inexperience and vulnerability of motorcyclists who tend to be younger than drivers. In 2006, 599 motorcycle users (including a small number of pillion passengers) were killed, 5,885 seriously injured and 16,842 slightly injured. In an attempt to reduce the number of young motorcyclists injured, legislation requires some compulsory basic training, before being allowed to drive on the highway with ‘L’ plates. This is followed by a road test, where the examiner follows the rider and they are linked by helmet radios.
Pedal cyclists
About six per cent of all people killed or injured on the roads are pedal cyclists. Most pedal cycle accidents happen on built up roads in daylight and involve a collision with another vehicle, usually a car. About 70% of these accidents happen at, or near, a junction. The highest proportion of pedal cyclists killed or injured are in the 12 to 15 years age group and overall, males are four times more likely to be injured while cycling than females, probably because they ride more and take greater risks. The most common accidents, in which cyclists are involved are: turning right, emerging from a driveway, failing to give way at a junction, young cyclists falling off cycles (no other vehicle involved), being struck from behind, or a motor vehicle failing to give way at a junction.
Pedestrians
We are all pedestrians at some time; most of us walk across a road at least once a day, and most (95%) pedestrian casualties happen in built up areas. Pedestrians account for about 14% of road accident casualties, but 27% of all road deaths. Since pedestrians have no protective shell, such as a car body, they suffer more severe injuries in any collision with a vehicle. Those most at risk are 5 to 14 year olds, probably because they are inexperienced and also more likely to take risks. Nearly one third are on their way to or from school at the time of the accident. On built up roads about one fifth of all pedestrians injured are on or near a crossing.
The ‘why’ of road accidents
Most road accidents have several causes; the main ones being human error, environmental problems and mechanical faults.
Human error is a factor in 95% of all road accidents. It can take many forms:
- Alcohol: Alcohol can have a devastating effect on driving ability. It is the biggest single factor in road deaths, especially among young people. It adversely affects decision-making, self-criticism, balance, co-ordination, sight, touch, hearing and judgement.
- Inexperience: With young people particularly, this can lead to mistakes, errors of judgement and irresponsible behaviour, especially driving too fast.
- Tiredness/illness: This reduces a road user’s ability to cope with road conditions and situations.
- Other reasons (children 0-15 years) include: Poor parental/adult supervision, small physical stature, stress or being upset, curiosity and taking risks, spirit of adventure, ignorance of the world and its dangers, lack of knowledge and training, inability to judge speed and distance, lack of attention, being easily distracted. All of these can result in children dashing out into the road without looking.
- Other reasons (Adults) include: Impatience, stress, carelessness, negligence, absentmindedness, irresponsible behaviour, inadequate knowledge and training, ageing, drugs and medicines, a general disregard for personal health and safety.
Environmental problems (weather conditions, road and junction design, and road surfaces) are a factor in around 18% of road accidents. Weather: rain can reduce visibility and make it harder to stop. Strong winds can be hazardous for cyclists. What problems can ice, snow and fog cause?
- Road design: busy junctions which are fine for cars may be dangerous for other road users.
- Road surface: pot holes, bumps and badly maintained roads can cause problems, especially for cyclists. If the road surface is wet and slippery it takes longer to stop when braking - why?
Mechanical faults are a factor in 5.5% of road accidents. This is a relatively small factor because of annual ‘M.o.T.’ tests to check vehicles’ road worthiness and improved vehicle construction.
Project suggestions
1. How safe are you?
The first step in reducing road accidents is to find out as much information as possible about them: when and why they happen and who is involved. Only after the problem areas have been identified can they be improved.
How do you and your friends behave on the road? Have you ever been in, or seen, a road accident, or near miss? What happened? What was the cause? Interview two people about near misses they’ve had, or seen. How do their answers compare with your own?
Many different groups of people use the roads (children, the elderly, pedestrians, cyclists, etc.) and each group has its own problems and needs. Choose one group and try to find out what problems they face. You might arrange to visit an old people’s home, a cyclists’ club, or a primary school (your teacher may help you with this). Contact your road safety department (part of the local council) who should be able to give you some information and advice. What questions will you ask?
Get a large scale map of the area around your school. Mark down traffic lights, junctions, crossings, etc. If there are no crossings where would you put one? Mark any danger points. Why are they dangerous? How can you improve it?
Do a survey. At the danger point(s) you’ve chosen, note down the number of pedestrians, vehicles, cyclists and motorcyclists using the road. Estimate how fast vehicles are travelling and how many are exceeding the speed limit. Look out especially for near misses and unsafe pedestrian behaviour. Be careful - discuss this with your teacher first and do not take any risks while conducting your survey. Stay on the pavement.
Imagine you are a road safety officer and prepare a report, supported by your research and survey results, on the problems you’ve found and the best ways of tackling them.
Collect newspaper reports of road accidents over a four-week period. Compile your findings: who was involved, what were their ages, sex, road user group? How were the accidents caused? When did the accidents occur? Prepare statistical displays (graphs, tables, pie and bar charts) of your findings and compare them with the results of your road survey.
What accident trends can you see from your findings? Write a report for a newspaper. In small groups prepare a TV news report; one of you can be the interviewer, others can be road safety experts, police, concerned parents, etc. You might find it helpful to watch and analyse a real TV news report.
Do you know what to do if you are in, or see, a road accident? Find the nearest phone box to your home and school. Find out the rules of first aid.
2. Accident prevention
Did you have any road safety teaching (including cycle training) at your primary school? Write a report about it. Was it effective (did it change the way you behave on the roads)?
Discussion point: How and what would you teach in road safety lessons for primary school children? Write an outline of your ideas - would you use a character like the Green Cross Code Man? What slogans would you use? Before you start decide what type of accidents you are trying to prevent.
Have you seen any road safety publicity outside school? Who was it aimed at: children, adults, drivers, cyclists, pedestrians? Plan a road safety campaign; you will need to decide who you are aiming at and how you will advertise; on T.V., radio, posters etc. Produce a plan for a campaign and at least one finished item.
Publicity is one of the means for increasing road safety; other means are education, training, road and vehicle design and law and enforcement. Choose one of these, find out as much as you can about it and prepare a report on how you would use it to prevent road accidents.
Choose one form of human error and describe the ways in which it could lead to an accident.
3. Drinking and driving
What is alcohol? How does it affect your body and your reactions? Does it affect everyone in the same way? How long does it stay in the body? How many ‘tricks’ for sobering up quickly do you know: how many work? What medical and social problems can alcohol cause?
What are the legal limits for alcohol in the breath and blood, when driving? How does alcohol affect driving ability? List as many alcoholic drinks as you know; how much of each drink would put a driver over the limit? - Make a guess, then find out. Make a display chart comparing your answers. You should be able to get information from your road safety department, health education officer, community police officer or local library.
Discussion point: What encourages people to drink? List all the influences you know/see/feel; how do they work? Are the influences the same for men and women? Which influences are the most important?
Discussion point: Why do some people drink and drive? List some situations that you think could lead someone to drink and drive. Choose one and write a report of what might happen. Do you know anyone who drinks and drives?
Discussion point: How should the police and courts deal with convicted drink drivers? Does severe punishment work? What else could the courts do?
What are the alternatives to drinking alcohol?
Do a survey: How many pubs and restaurants in your area sell No and Low Alcohol Beers (NABLABS). What do you think of the advertising for NABLAB’s? Compare it with advertising for alcoholic drinks. How would you persuade drivers not to drink and drive? What can non-drivers (passengers, publicans, people giving parties, etc.) do to help?
Invite a police officer to give your class a demonstration of a breath test machine and to participate in a class discussion on drinking and driving. Should random breath testing be introduced? Prepare some questions beforehand.
4. Safety features in cars
Motor vehicles are designed and built with primary and secondary safety features. Primary safety features (e.g. brakes) are designed to prevent an accident and secondary safety features (e.g. seat belts) to protect the vehicle’s occupants if an accident does happen.
What are the primary and secondary safety features in a motor vehicle? Choose one of each, describe how it works and trace the history of its development and effect.
Wearing a seat belt halves the risk of death or injury in a car crash; how? Do a survey: How many of your classmates wear a rear seat belt? Ask those who don’t, why they don’t.
Examine a bicycle to see how its brakes work. In the playground devise a test to measure the distance it takes a bike to stop at various speeds. How long does it take you to stop when walking, jogging or sprinting?
Try to arrange for someone from a friendly garage, or a teacher, to demonstrate and explain how a vehicle’s brakes work.
Design a test, using models, to explore the relationship between speed and stopping distances and the effect of a sudden collision at various speeds. Your science teacher may be able to help you with this.
Some new cars are being fitted with sensors or radar; how could they contribute to accident prevention?
5. Road and traffic signs
Traffic signs and road markings give information, warnings or orders. Most traffic signs are a circle, a triangle or a rectangle. What does each shape mean? What are the exceptions? What are the main colours of traffic signs? What do they indicate?
Why do most traffic signs use pictures rather than words? What is a symbol? How many symbols do you know that give warnings, orders or information?
Get a copy of the ‘Highway Code’, how many of the traffic signs illustrated do you know? Test a friend and do a survey on your class’s knowledge of road signs.
Get a large scale street plan of part of your town. Mark on it where you would put road signs and which signs you would use. Do the same for traffic lights, pedestrian crossings, road markings and streetlights.
Your aim is to minimise the risk of accidents, make it clear to road users where they should be going and to ensure the traffic flows freely. You might find it more interesting to do this in small groups. Compare your plan with the signs and markings on the real roads.
Do you know of any accident blackspots or traffic congestion points, in your area? How could the traffic signs and road markings be improved at these spots?
Our system of road signs is under constant review by the Department of Transport. Imagine you are a civil servant; write a report for the Minister of Transport on the state of your area’s road signs and any you would like to change.
Design a sign that gives information, a warning or an order about a safety topic of your choosing. The sign should be clear and its meaning obvious at a glance.
Further information
Contact the Road Safety Department of your local council, who should be able to provide general information and local accident data. Two Government publications - ‘Road Casualties - Great Britain’ and ‘Transport Statistics - Great Britain’ are excellent reference books for national data. They are available on the DfT website, www.dft.gov.uk
Addresses
- Transport Research Laboratory , Crowthorne House, Nine Mile Road, Wokingham, Berkshire, RG40 3GA. www.trl.co.uk
- Department for Transport, Great Minster House, 76 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DR. www.dft.gov.uk
- British Standards Institute, 398 Chiswick High Road, London, W4 4AL. www.bsi-global.com
- Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders Ltd, Forbes House, Halkin Street, London, SW1X 7DS. www.smmt.co.uk
- British Motorcyclists’ Federation, Jack WileyHouse, 25 Warren Park Way, Enderby, Leicester LE19 4SA. www.bmf.co.uk
- The British Beer and Pub Association, Market Towers, 1 Nine ELms Road, London, SW8 5NQ. www.beerandpub.com
- Living Streets , 3rd Floor, 31-33 Bondway, Vauxhall, London, SW8 1SJ. www.livingstreets.org.uk
- Cyclists Touring Club, Cotterell House, 69 Meadrow, Godalming, Surrey, GU7 3HS. www.ctc.org.uk
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