Indicators to support 'Safer travel'
Performance in casualty reduction in Bedfordshire has been very encouraging so far and we continue to strive to seek new, creative ways of reducing these figures further. Greater involvement in and use of the platforms created by Neighbourhood Renewal Schemes and Estate Development Plans being pushed forward at a District level will be sought.
We are, for example, working with a a wide range of partners to carry out Child Road Safety Audits. This will help us to really understand the nature of collisions and local social factors that contribute to them.
Picture 4 Vehicle activated sign
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Bedfordshire has been involved in successful negotiations with the Government Office for the East of England, which resulted in the inclusion of the “All Fatal and Serious injury” collisions target being included in this Authority’s Local Area Agreement (LAA) as a 'non-reward' target (that is, there is no reward attached to meeting the target). Including the target in the LAA is a great achievement and reflects the importance placed on this area of work.
Notwithstanding the difficulty and unpredictability of ‘accidents’ we are hopeful that during the next five years we will reap the rewards of significant improvements in partnership working. This is the basis of the County’s Road Safety Strategy which clearly identifies added value and patnership as key factors in casualty reduction. The following targets will monitor our success in meeting this objective.
Our public involvement exercises identify that the public’s priorities are to introduce methods through which to reduce road casualties. This aim is reflected in our casualty reduction targets.
Total 'killed and seriously injured' and 'slight injuries' have both been allocated a medium risk status. This is because, although most influencing factors are within our control (such as implementing road safety measures in specific locations) and process and partnerships are robust, the nature of accidents means that to some extent they will always be random.
Picture 5 Safe Routes to School scheme outside Brooklands Middle School in Leighton Buzzard
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The number of children killed and seriously injured however, has been allocated a high risk level. This is largely due to the very low numbers involved (when overall numbers are low, one accident can have a high statistical effect on the trajectory).
Total killed and seriously injured (BVPI 99a(i))
Children killed and seriously injured (BVPI 99b(i))
Slightly injured (BVPI 99c(i))
