Introduction
Study Context
Following on from the government’s manifesto to an annual reduction in road deaths and injuries, the
British Road Safety Statement 2015 (BRSS) set out the government’s commitment to invest further in
continuing road safety activity, and to conduct a Road Safety Management Capacity Review (RSMCR).
A RSMCR is a strategic assessment, benchmarking and capacity building tool, originally developed by
the World Bank's Global Road Safety Facility, to guide investments and assist countries in
strengthening road safety management. It is recommended for use by the OECD/International
Transport Forum and the World Road Association as a first step in further developing and extending
effective Safe System investment strategies, plans and projects in all countries and contexts.
In May 2017, the DfT commissioned a RSMCR to benchmark and understand the current status of
institutional delivery of road safety in Britain, and to identify practical and actionable opportunities for
strengthening joint working, local innovation, and efficiency on a national and local basis.
Safe System
The overarching theme of the BRSS is the government’s adoption of the recommended Safe System
approach to preventing death and serious injuries in road collisions. Its application is cited as a key
national priority in the UK. While building on current practice, some re-alignment in national road
safety focus and activity will be necessary over time. Safe System implementation towards zero deaths
and serious injuries is a long-term project and is in different stages of development in different
countries and jurisdictions.
Safe System comprises both an explicit goal and strategy. The long-term Safe System goal is for the
ultimate prevention of deaths and serious injuries, through incremental targeted improvements within
a specified safety performance framework. The Safe System strategy aims for a more forgiving road
system that takes human fallibility and vulnerability into account. The road traffic system is planned,
designed, operated and used such that people are protected from death and serious injury in road
collisions.
Aims and Objectives of the Review
The overarching aim of the RSMCR is to identify practical and actionable opportunities for
strengthening joint working, local innovation, and efficiency on a national and local basis. In particular
the RSMCR seeks to understand the current status of institutional delivery of road safety in Britain by:
Examining national, regional and local structures, responsibilities, accountabilities, relationships
and coordination;
Examining whether management effort and resources at all levels are being targeted effectively
at designing, and enabling or delivering evidence-based interventions and initiatives that can
have the greatest impact in preventing and reducing the number of road users killed and
seriously injured;
Assessing the current road safety delivery landscape against the Safe System road safety
management assessment framework and determining whether there is an imbalance in
resource effort for each element and at each level (national, regional and local);
Investigating how institutional capacity can be cost-effectively strengthened, within the context
of the BRSS, to deliver a Safe System approach to road safety; and
Identifying areas and means for improved joint working, local innovation and efficiency