Introduction
RoSPA is an independent, registered charity which was created in 1917 in response to an 'alarming increase in traffic accidents’ in London. Today, RoSPA promotes safety in all areas of life – on the road, in the home, at work, in schools, at leisure and on or near water. Our aim is to Save Lives and Reduce Injuries.
The breadth of RoSPA’s expertise allows us to draw lessons from different schools of thought and approaches to injury prevention. Indeed, this is how RoSPA began its Managing Occupational Road Risk campaign in 1996, which has led to ‘at-work road safety’ being a key priority in the UK’s road safety strategy today. Other examples of RoSPA’s contribution to road safety over the years include the formation of a national network of local road safety committees (the forerunner of today’s local authority road safety officer service), the National Cycling Proficiency Scheme, the Tufty Club, compulsory seat belt wearing (RoSPA’s President introduced an amendment to the Transport Bill in 1981), and the ban on using a hand-held mobile phone while driving.
Safety organisations can be accused of encouraging ‘hypersafety’, ‘excessive risk aversion’ and the ‘nanny state’. However, “Absolute safety” is neither feasible nor desirable, since it would come at such cost to our freedoms. Common sense is essential when developing and promoting safety interventions. There are clearly areas where regulation, legislation or standards are essential (e.g., the nuclear, chemical or aviation industries). On the other hand, people need to be able to get on with their lives and be free to decide what risks they wish to take, provided they are not putting others in danger. The difficulty is where to draw the line. RoSPA draws the line with two simple questions:
1) Is the intervention proportionate to the risk? If the problem is not that great, steer towards the lighter touch, but if the evidence demands more guidance, consider intervention.
2) What would be the effect on others? Someone who puts only themselves at risk should have the freedom to do so; but if an act can kill or injure others, it must be proscribed or regulated. A solo mountain climber fits into the first category; a speeding motorist the second.
RoSPA’s Approach to Safety is discussed in further detail in our Chief Executive’s Reports for the 2007/08 Annual Review and 2008/09 Annual Review, and in “Safety: A Short RoSPA Guide to Key Concepts”.
Road safety is one part of RoSPA’s Public Health campaign to make accident prevention, in all areas of activity, a cornerstone of public health policy. In response to the Government White Paper, “Healthy Lives, Healthy People”, RoSPA produced a comprehensive policy paper about accident prevention as a public health issue, (available at www.rospa.com/about/currentcampaigns/publichealth/info/rospa-public-health-response.pdf).
Updates about RoSPA’s Public Health Campaign are available at: www.rospa.com/about/currentcampaigns/publichealth/default.aspx.
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