The message comes from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) which, along with a number of other organisations, has produced Making Road Safety Count, a guide for senior decision-makers in local government and other agencies on how to get the most cost-effective use from decreasing road safety funds, to protect their local communities.

Making Road Safety Count has been produced by a sub-group of RoSPA’s National Road Safety Committee, comprising AIRSO, PACTS, British Motorcyclist Federation, CTC, London Road Safety Council, IAM, the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation, and RoSPA.

The guide is published as DfT data shows that in 2014, the number of people killed in reported road crashes increased by 4% – the first such rise in a decade – and the figure may continue to increase as the economy improves and traffic levels rise.

Graham Feest, chairman of the National Road Safety Committee, said: “Making Road Safety Count has been produced to show how this toll can be reduced by providing cost-effective road safety programmes that are:

• Informed by local data and evidence, and prioritise high-risk groups and areas
• Based on a Safe System approach
• Planned and delivered in partnership with other agencies, and in consultation with local people
• Evaluated to assess effectiveness and identify improvements.

“It is also intended to demonstrate the value of providing effective road safety services, and to encourage local authorities to protect road safety spending as much as possible in the current economic climate.”

The guide can be downloaded from www.rospa.com/rospaweb/docs/advice-services/road-safety/practitioners/making-it-count.pdf