Road Safety Foundation

The Road Safety Foundation is a United Kingdom charity which carries out and procures research into safe road design and road safety. The Foundation is responsible for the European Road Assessment Program (EuroRAP) in the UK and Ireland.

The Road Safety Foundation
Founded(1986-10-31)31 October 1986
FounderThe Automobile Association
TypeRegistered Charity
FocusRoad Safety Research
Location
Area served
UK, Republic of Ireland
ProductEuroRAP
MethodEuroRAP, Campaign for Safe Road Design, European Campaign for Safe Road Design
Key people
Lord Dubs, Chairman
Websiteroadsafetyfoundation.org

History

The Foundation was created in 1986[1] as the AA Foundation for Road Safety Research by the AA, while it was still a member-owned institution. The charity became the Road Safety Foundation following the sale of the AA by Centrica to CVC and Permira.

Aims

Today the Foundation's aims are:

  • the carrying out of research into all factors of the safe use of roads by all classes of user
  • the promotion of advice and knowledge on the safe use of roads to all users
  • to develop ideas and programmes designed to improve road safety including projects to educate young children on the safe use of the road
  • to provide the transportation industry with access to a library of research materials, as well as policy documentations and relevant publications[2]

Governance

The Foundation is governed by a Council of Management led by Lord Alf Dubs and includes representation from the Freight Transport Association, FIA Foundation for the Automobile and Society, and International Road Assessment Programme (IRAP).

In addition to his role in the Foundation, Lord Dubs, previously a Labour Member of Parliament and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Northern Ireland Office, is an active member of the House of Lords. In January 2008 Lord Dubs spoke of his interest in Road Safety and the Foundation in a debate on road safety.[3]

Research

The Foundation has a legacy of research going back to its inception in the mid-1980s. Research covers a wide range of road safety related subjects including the causes of accidents in young pedestrians, risk and safety in the older driver and a review of tyres and road surfaces.[4] Since 2003 the work of the Foundation has focused on EuroRAP in the UK[5] and in 2008 the Campaign for Safe Road Design.

EuroRAP in the UK

The Foundation is the Active Member and licence holder for the European Road Assessment Programme (EuroRAP) in Britain and Ireland. The Foundation regularly issues the list of safest and most dangerous roads in Britain and Ireland.

In 2008 the Foundation released its latest results for Britain, naming the A537 Macclesfield to Buxton road as the most dangerous road in Britain.[6] The results also featured in an edition of television programme Police Camera Action!.[7]

Ireland

In May 2008 the Foundation released the latest Risk Rating results for Ireland, reporting that the Ireland network no longer featured any roads in the highest risk banding (Black: High Risk). In the Republic of Ireland, the N53 was identified as a priority for action to improve road safety, while in Northern Ireland the A2 was prioritised. The 2008 Ireland report also published the results of the first Star Rating Assessment of Ireland's roads which showed a clear split in terms of safety design between the historic non-designed single carriageway roads with poor safety provision, and the newer motorways and dual carriageways which achieved a very high safety rating.[8]

Campaigning for Safe Road Design

The Campaign for Safe Road Design is a partnership between 13 major road safety stakeholders in the United Kingdom that is calling for the UK Government to invest in a safe road infrastructure which could cut deaths on British roads by 33%.[9] The Road Safety Foundation is the lead partner in the campaign.

Following the success of the campaign, having influenced the UK Department for Transport to support the increase of EuroRAP risk rate mapping to the wider road network in the UK,[10] EuroRAP has organized a European Campaign for Safe Road Design along the lines of the UK campaign.

The European campaign features 28 partners across Europe and aims to influence the EC to use Safe Road Infrastructure Initiatives to cut casualties by 50,000 a year for the next decade, which is the equivalent of €50 billion over the decade or 0.5% of GDP.[11] The Road Safety Foundation is the campaign's partner in the UK.

See also

References
  1. "Road Safety Foundation". Charity Commission. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  2. "Road Safety Foundation Library". Road Safety Foundation. Archived from the original on 9 May 2011.
  3. "House of Lords debates Thursday, 10 January Road Safety 2008". theyworkforyou.com. Retrieved 10 December 2008.
  4. "The Road Safety Foundation - Historical Reports". Road Safety Foundation. Archived from the original on 2 August 2007. Retrieved 10 December 2008.
  5. "The Road Safety Foundation - EuroRAP Reports". Road Safety Foundation. Retrieved 10 December 2008.
  6. "Britain's persistently higher-risk roads" (PDF). Road Safety Foundation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 February 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2008.
  7. "GB Tracking Survey Results". EuroRAP. Archived from the original on 10 February 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2008.
  8. "EuroRAP 2008 Ireland Report". EuroRAP. Archived from the original on 3 July 2008. Retrieved 10 December 2008.
  9. "EuroRAP - Safe Road Design to Save UK GBP 6BN Every Year". EuroRAP. Archived from the original on 1 October 2009. Retrieved 1 October 2008.
  10. "Government Support Strengthens". Campaign for Safe Road Design. Archived from the original on 13 September 2009. Retrieved 4 June 2009.
  11. "Make safe road design a european transport priority". European Campaign for Safe Road Design. Archived from the original on 23 January 2010. Retrieved 4 June 2009.
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