Raising the Game - New Report

26 November 2020

In a newly revised report RoadSafe partner - Road Safety Support (RSS) calls for forces to leave traditional camera enforcement behind and introduce a new wide-area, more flexible approach to speed camera operation, thereby increasing the threat of detection for motorists.

The report Enforcement Strategy - Raising the Game highlights that: ‘After many years of successful initiatives to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured, we have stagnated. “There were 1,793 reported road deaths in 2017, similar to the level seen since 2012. There were 39% fewer fatalities in 2017 compared with 2007.” Worldwide, this is not the case. ‘

‘Emerging economies are often facing increasing death tolls, but where there is a political will to do so, reductions can be delivered rapidly through better engineered roads, safer cars, driver training and often through attention to pedestrian issues and protecting two wheeled riders. These are not obvious avenues for us. We have already delivered so many improvements in these areas.’

‘Many countries are embracing the concept of the self-explanatory ‘Vision Zero’ and looking at ideas around a ‘Safe Systems’ approach to further casualty reduction. We, too, need to fully embrace this. Recognising that enforcement plays a key role in casualty reduction, we have re-considered our current enforcement picture for speeding offences. This crucial area of road safety is ripe for review and change. We believe that we are not making the most effective use of the assets available to Road Safety Partnerships and that we are clinging on to out-dated ideas that do not allow us to do more at a time when there are fewer alternatives available.’

In its report Raising the Game, RSS offers ideas on how safety camera technology can be used in a more effective way. It offers strong evidence to support a different speed enforcement strategy across the UK, which can help to deliver the casualty reductions we all seek.

A presentation based on the report featured in the RSGB Festival of Road Safety.