New strategy formed to help reduce deaths and serious injuries on roads in Warwickshire

A new strategy has been created to help reduce deaths and serious injuries on the roads in Warwickshire.

Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership has published the Warwickshire Road Safety Strategy to 2030 setting out its target to reduce deaths and serious injuries by 50 per cent by 2030.

The development of the plan follows a public consultation, which looked at attitudes to road safety and the measures that would be needed to make highways safer for all users.

The strategy calls on the public as well as partners such as Warwickshire Police, the Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Warwickshire County Council, Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service and National Highways to play their part in making roads safer as part of the new ‘safe systems’ approach.

The safe systems approach is built upon four principles:

1. People make mistakes that can lead to collisions

2. People are vulnerable to being killed or seriously injured in a collision.

3. Road safety is a shared responsibility for all, including you as a road user and those that design, build, operate and use the road system

4. All parts of the system must be strengthened so the road users are still protected if one element fails.

Chair of Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership and Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Seccombe said: “In Warwickshire the ambitious target of a 50 per cent reduction in road deaths and serious injuries means 183 fewer people killed or seriously injured on our roads by 2030.

“Talking about this target in real terms brings home how important it is that we reduce the numbers of people killed or seriously injured on our roads every year.

"Any number is too many and this new Strategy is just the start of our journey towards ‘Vision Zero’ to eliminate fatal and serious casualties, and create a safe road environment that will encourage active and sustainable travel.”

To achieve the Safe Systems approach, WRSP has established working groups with their own performance indicators to look at all aspects of road safety in order to keep people safe.

The working groups are safe road users, safe vehicles, safe speeds, safe roads and post collision response.

These working groups will work together to improve the system and use all available data and evidence to determine the initiatives that need to be put in place.

Philip Seccombe added: “We are excited to be part of this new way of thinking to increase the layers of protection for road users, to strengthen the system and to help reduce deaths and serious injuries on our roads

“We can only do this if everyone plays their part, so please join us by doing your utmost to become a better road user and do everything you can to help prevent collisions from occurring.”

To view the Strategy to 2030 go to: https://warksroadsafety.org/our-strategy