RoSPA Road Safety in Wales
RoSPA has maintained an office in Cardiff for over 50 years and as a result of this experience is recognised as an ideal organisation to act as an interface between the major road safety organisations in Wales. RoSPA Wales is committed to working closely with the Welsh Assembly Government, Local Authorities, the Emergency Services, the media, voluntary groups and other interested parties within Wales, to address the road safety problems within the country. RoSPA Wales seeks to be proactive as well as reactive in its function and leads, recommends and develops issues that it considers will bring about greater awareness of road safety and further progress in casualty reduction.
Most of RoSPA’s work in Wales is funded by a grant from the Welsh Assembly Government. It is broadly summarised into the following roles:
- Road Safety Publicity and Public Relations: RoSPA identifies road safety issues in Wales that require prominence, raise public awareness of those issues and provides authoritative comment on such issues.
- Road Safety Information and Advice: RoSPA promotes good road safety practise by providing expert information, advice and support to individuals, groups and agencies.
- Road Safety Liaison and Collaboration: RoSPA liaises and co-operates with statutory and non-statutory agencies with a road safety agenda, and offers expertise and knowledge to encourage work between all relevant agencies.
- Road Safety Education and Communication: RoSPA co-ordinates the production and provision of relevant bilingual road safety education services, programmes and materials throughout Wales.
- Road Safety Wales Projects Interface: RoSPA engages with the Road Safety Wales Partners by stimulating, implementing, managing and co-ordinating agreed all Wales road safety projects.
- Evaluation of Road Safety Projects and Analysis of Data: RoSPA monitors and evaluates local and national road safety initiatives, analyses accident data and makes appropriate recommendations.
Road Safety Publicity and Public Relations
The media is central to the process of awareness raising and the development of knowledge and understanding about road safety issues. RoSPA Wales, therefore, maintains an efficient and effective ability to respond to media enquiries, as well as adopting a pro-active role in promoting specific issues to the media. Through contacts within Wales, its key road safety organisations and other groups, RoSPA identifies important and pertinent road safety issues in Wales.
RoSPA identifies key and prominent issues and drafts appropriate press releases for most appropriate media, as well as liaising with RoSPA UK Press Office regarding items appropriate for release in Wales.
In addition to distributing press releases on specific issues, RoSPA receives many unsolicited enquiries, and continues to be highly regarded by the media as one of the most prominent organisations to turn to for independent comment on road safety matters. RoSPA, through its Advisory Committees, specialists, technical officers and Press Office is ideally placed to act as spokesperson on such matters. RoSPA Wales also speaks on behalf of the Road Safety Wales Partnership as required. RoSPA Wales’ staff write articles and reports for relevant periodicals and websites published in Wales as requested.
Throughout the year opportunity arises to promote specific road safety campaigns, special road safety days/weeks and other initiatives. RoSPA will help to promote these initiatives in Wales and co-ordinate activity between local authorities and relevant agencies.
Road Safety Information and Advice
RoSPA Wales provides the general public, the commercial sector, the voluntary sector, politicians and road safety agencies with accurate, relevant and up to date information on all issues affecting road users in Wales both proactively and reactively. RoSPA Wales receives a substantial number of enquires and requests for road safety information and support from all such groups.
RoSPA responds to requests for specific information and advice from members of the public. These requests generally include matters regarding in car safety, driving standards, resources and matters of public safety concern.
RoSPA’s staff in Wales also give presentations and support to commercial organisations and attend relevant events when it is considered appropriate. These include MORR presentations, better driving talks and participation in road safety seminars and conferences. Support for the Voluntary sector includes offering advice and guidance, and participating in occasional meetings as well as promoting the availability of road safety resources and services.
RoSPA Wales produces a quarterly Road Safety Newsletter for circulation to Welsh Government Members, MPs and MEPs and to Local government representatives. The Newsletter highlights the most up to date road safety project activity, forthcoming events, relevant information and advice and impending legislation. It is disseminated by email, and on the Road Safety Wales website.
Road Safety Liaison and Collaboration
The road safety movement in Wales, like the UK as a whole, has many key players, each of which makes a distinctive contribution. These range from central and local government, professional organisations and voluntary bodies, and RoSPA believes that road safety successes in recent years are the result of a concerted multi-agency approach to the problems that exist. RoSPA plays a unique role in Wales in helping to co-ordinate, support, complement and stimulate the work that is being undertaken by working effectively with the appropriate agencies.
RoSPA Wales maintains contact with road safety practitioners at grass roots level via local and national forums, supporting events and launches and occasional individual visits. RoSPA Wales also maintains and updates a database of contact details of road safety practitioners working in local authorities, the Police, the Fire and Rescue Services and other relevant road safety contacts in Wales. RoSPA supports the road safety work of the four Police Forces with relevant advice and co-operation, and attends Police/RSO Liaison meetings as requested. RoSPA supports the road safety work of the three Fire and Rescue Services, particularly engaging with the Community Safety and Road Casualty Reduction Departments.
RoSPA participates in relevant meetings and events organised and co-ordinated by the Welsh Government, offering support towards specific activities as necessary.
Road Safety Education and Communication
RoSPA believes that co-ordination between the twenty-two local authorities in Wales is of paramount importance if road users are to get the best service delivery that they can. Many road safety initiatives derive extra benefit when resources and services are produced jointly and centrally. Therefore, RoSPA Wales, in conjunction with its Road Safety Wales Partners, helps to manage the requirements for new and updated bilingual road safety resource material. This helps to support below the line advertising by Local Authorities by ensuring provision of common bilingual road safety material. RoSPA also seeks to monitor and evaluate the use and effectiveness of such material.
Road Safety Wales Projects Interface
A key role for RoSPA Wales is to engage with the Road Safety Wales Partners by stimulating, implementing, managing and co-ordinating Road Safety Wales projects. RoSPA has long been associated with the Road Safety Wales Partnership (previously RoSCoW) and has been instrumental in bringing about change and progress within it. RoSPA recognises the effectiveness and value of many of the projects detailed in the annual RSW Business Plan and because of RoSPA’s traditional, unique role and considerable experience implements, manages, co-ordinates and supports many of its projects.
RoSPA supports the objectives contained in the Road Safety Wales Annual Business Plan, helping to ensure the satisfactory completion of specific projects.
The site is an invaluable resource for all road safety practitioners in Wales and brings together everything that's being undertaken.
There are also two other websites that need maintaining www.dragondriver.org.uk and www.jrsocymru.org.uk to support national projects and RoSPA will maintain these as part of the effort to link local and national initiatives.
Bikesafe Cymru
In Wales, motorcycling continues to be popular. However motorcycle casualties, particularly fatalities are over represented in the statistics. All four Welsh Police Forces are focussing on the problem by running weekend workshops, among other initiatives. RoSPA co-ordinates the weekend workshops on behalf of Gwent Police, Dyfed Powys Police and South Wales Police by taking enquiries and bookings, dealing with financial transactions, ordering resources and catering and liaising with training providers. RoSPA also helps to promote relevant events and launches.
Evaluation of Road Safety Projects and Analysis of Data
RoSPA Wales monitors and evaluates local and national road safety initiatives and analyses accident data and make recommendations accordingly. RoSPA has considerable expertise and experience in evaluating road safety education, training and publicity projects, and is also able to analyse specific casualty and other data that is not readily available from other sources.
Evaluation
RoSPA Wales can help to monitor and evaluate specific local and national road safety projects with the following aims:
- To determine whether a programme has had any effect, and the extent, nature and cost of that effect
- To determine whether the materials and activities used have had an impact among the target group
- To provide information for use as a guide to future policy and to determine the level of resources which should be made available
- To provide guidance on the desirability, effectiveness and cost of future programmes.
Data Analysis
RoSPA Wales seeks to analyse casualty data that is not collected via STATS 19, including:
- Police collision report books or collision reconstruction files – where they can be accessed
- Casualty records produced by doctors and hospital Accident and Emergency departments.
RoSPA also conducts specific research projects to support road safety in Wales, such as:
- research into circumstances of motor vehicle collisions involving children
- a study of elderly and mobility impaired pedestrian casualties to identify common trends and possible contributory trends
- collision and casualty figures for taxis
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