New performance measures replace targets.

13 May 2011

RoadSafe welcomes the new approach to measuring performance announced by DfT.

In place of the familiar casualty reduction targets DfT is developing a number of performance indicators designed to help Government, local organisations and citizens to monitor the progress towards improving road safety and decreasing the number of fatalities and seriously injured casualties on Great British roads. It is anticipated that these will be used against the figures for individual local authorities so that their progress can be compared against the national picture.

It has identified 6 key indicators which relate to road deaths and will measure the key outcomes of the strategy at national level:

• Number of road deaths (and rate per billion vehicle miles)
• Rate of motorcyclist deaths per billion vehicle miles
• Rate of car occupant deaths per billion vehicle miles
• Rate of pedal cyclist deaths per billion vehicle miles
• Rate of pedestrian deaths per billion miles walked
• Number of deaths resulting from collisions involving drivers under 25
 

It is understood that government will continue to report on total casualties as has been done in the past, however at the local level, the number of road deaths is small and subject to fluctuation, so the following  key indicators have been peoposed:

• Number of killed or seriously injured casualties
• Rate of killed or seriously injured casualties per million people
• Rate of killed or seriously injured casualties per billion vehicle miles
 

 Alongside this  a more comprehensive list of indicators such as hospital admissions, young driver deaths and age of vehicles involved in crashes - each related to the key themes of the strategy will be published.

A fuller explanation is available at Annex B to the strategic framework document - available here.