Appendix 1
Through our Prevention Strategy 2022-2027, Prevention services and our structure for delivery was reviewed. This was done to ensure that we are delivering appropriately in line with our changing operating environment. We continue with a strategic focus on the quality of the services that we deliver around key themes: helping people to start safe, live safe; age safe, be safe on our roads and be safe in and around water, with a focus on working collaboratively with other organisations. As we move into the next financial year, the priorities of the thematic groups align to the Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP) 2022-2027 and Strategic Assessment of Risk alongside our District Plans.
During 2025-2026 the Thematic Road Safety Group continued to meet every quarter, with an option of both in person and virtual meets. We have membership from all areas of the county and a mix of Community Safety and Operational Staff. CFA Member and Road Safety Champion County Councillor Jordan Fox has had close links with the group and has been in regular communication with the Prevention Support Officer for Road Safety.
An annual work programme which supports the Lancashire Road Safety Partnership ‘Ambition for Vision Zero’ strategy is the focus for all members. One of the ambitions of the group is to improve communication between strategic and practitioner levels and also to send clear messages out to areas with key road safety priorities. We want to deliver focused activities in areas identified as having issues and evaluate effectiveness.
We continue to offer a greater choice of delivery methods for the community we serve, improving our reach and efficacy. Our offer of virtual delivery remains part of our plan and continues to be selected by schools as a delivery method across the county for campaigns such as Road Safety Week and Elective Home Education Sessions. The group is responsible for ensuring all road safety packages are kept up to date and continuous evaluation of the feedback received is considered and drives change where appropriate.
Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) continue to be a pro-active member of LRSP and have representatives at both strategic and operational group level. The partners are working closely with each other and delivering the partnership strategy – ‘Ambition for Vision Zero’, in an attempt to reduce those killed or seriously injured on our roads.
“We believe that no death or serious injury is acceptable on our roads, and we are working in partnership to reduce road danger in our county.”
LFRS play a very active role in the Children and Young People workstream (as chair) and the Powered 2 Wheelers/ E-bike and E-scooter working Group and Senior Road Users workstream. The Delivery Group brings partners together to look at what is currently delivered, what works well and where the gaps are so that we can pool our resources to work effectively and without duplication. At each meeting Lancashire County Council (LCC) share up to date statistics which enables the group to identify quickly any emerging issues and formulate an appropriate response. LFRS now has full access to LCC Power BI platform to ensure the data we are using is accurate and up to date. All District Plans now contain a Road Safety District Profile produced using this platform so both Managers and staff are aware of the risks within their district and can plan engagement in an informed manner.
Area Manager Matt Hamer has continued in his role as Chair of the Lancashire Road Safety Partnership and has the responsibility of steering The Challenge Board. Under the new format The Delivery Group provides a detailed report for The Challenge Board, so each organisation is more accountable than they have been previously.
Road Sense is the name given to the road safety education programme delivered to Year 6 pupils. The session begins with a 20-minute fire safety recap, followed by a 40-minute road safety input. This provides an opportunity to build on the fire safety session pupils receive in Year 2, reinforcing key messages and exploring the consequences of hoax calls and deliberate fires. During this reporting period, additional content was added on E-bikes and E-scooters to cover both the fire safety and road safety risks associated with these vehicles. This reflects an increase in incidents involving young people using E-bikes and E-scooters on Lancashire’s roads over the last 12 months, alongside LFRS attendance at 93 lithium battery-related accidental dwelling fires over the most recent three-year period.
The package focuses on five key road safety themes which were selected to reflect Lancashire’s issues with young people:
· In Car Safety
· Pedestrian Safety
· Cycle Safety
· Be Safe Be Seen
· Bus Safety
· E-bikes & E-scooters
Our package remains available for wider use on StayWise, which is an online resource website for Fire and Rescue Services across the country.
Evaluation of the package has provided us with positive feedback from schools with 98% of teachers selecting they ‘strongly agreed or agreed’ the session was ‘age appropriate.’ 98% of teachers who responded said the ‘strongly agreed or agreed’ the session would positively affect pupils’ behaviour. Utilising the Quick Response (QR) code allows the teachers to give more honest feedback and improves the efficiency of the process, any feedback received can be dealt with in a timely manner as we are not relying on paper forms being received through the post.
This feedback has enabled the Road Safety Thematic Group to update all the delivery slides. Whilst the key messages remain, the package has been refreshed to create a slicker running order and cleaner feel to the format. This is now done on an annual basis at the end of the academic year to ensure a fresh product for September. The feedback from teachers previously noted additional groupwork would complement the session so this has been made clearer for the deliverer at appropriate points of the presentation. The breakout activities assist children of this age group to learn from their peers, a recognised learning method which they regularly utilise at school. Due to the increasing issues with E-bikes and E-scooters the CFA Road Safety Champion agreed to an additional A5 activity sheet being printed to hand out at the end of the session. This highlights the law around these vehicles and fire safety considerations. The activity sheet has been designed in a fun and interactive way to encourage the children to complete the activities and confirm their learning from the session.
Here are a couple of examples of feedback received from teachers following a Road Sense delivery:
“Children really enjoyed the session and took a lot away from it. Really important information ahead of High School.”
“The session was well pitched toward Year 6 children and came at an appropriate time as they are preparing to become more independent for high school.”
The Road Sense Fact Sheet continues to be popular, with the inclusion of a QR Code for the pupils to fill in following a session to assist us to better evaluate the behaviour change effectiveness of the session as the pupils fill this in at home. Some examples the pupils have marked in the free text box:
“Not to wear headphones or listen to music whilst crossing roads and shut the doors at night and if there was a fire put your hand on the door to check the fire isn’t right outside.”
“Don't leave your phone on charge, always wear a helmet, and don't get an E bike.”
There are six questions on the form, the correct responses range between 83% and 99% of answers. This is extremely positive that the pupils are retaining such a high percentage of the information they have received as the feedback it not always submitted on the day the session took place. During this reporting period we recorded 19,759 Year 6 pupils receiving this input, with 593 sessions being delivered, our best delivery since the package was developed.
LFRS is now the only delivery partner for Wasted Lives on behalf of LRSP. The programme is aimed at young and pre-drivers and aims to influence behaviour and change attitudes either as a driver or a passenger, thereby reducing risk to this specific group and to other road users.
By actively engaging with this age group (15 to 25 year olds) Wasted Lives aims to maximise the opportunities for people to evaluate and reflect on their own attitudes and behaviour behind the wheel and as a passenger. Extensive evaluation has demonstrated how the package promotes real and lasting changes in how each participant behaves in a car. Since the introduction of Wasted Lives in 2010, LFRS has delivered road safety education to over 145,000 young people throughout Lancashire, Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen. For the period 2025-2026 LFRS has recorded delivery of the programme to 11,081 young people over 97 sessions. Largely the schools are opting for an assembly format as timetable constraints make this an easier option.
We have developed a suite of assembly sessions which can be adapted in length to fit in with schools’ timetables. Schools now have three delivery options and by being more flexible in what we can deliver and how, we will be able to reach more young people.
Whilst our focus was primarily on delivering in high schools, we have seen an increase in the number of requests for delivery to apprentice groups and colleges following the removal of Safe Drive Stay Alive intervention through LRSP. Due to this, and with LFRS Prevention Support Officer for Road Safety leading the Young Driver Group for LRSP an extended trial has been took place with a number of colleges to formulate a delivery model for 16 plus learners.
The delivery will consist of three different offers and be relevant to the risk profile of each area:
· Bronze Delivery – assembly format Wasted Lives - Fatal 5 delivery.
· Silver Delivery – assembly format Wasted Lives - Fatal 5 delivery followed by a ‘marketplace’ of road safety professionals from LFRS, Police, Northwest Ambulance Service (NWAS), Lancashire County Council (LCC) and Tyre Safe Charity. This will allow the large groups to split into small groups so they can take part in some practical activities and experience a Road Traffic Collision. (RTC) through the use of VR headsets.
· Gold Delivery – as Silver above plus a live RTC Demonstration with a real casualty extraction.
In September LFRS organised two large multi-agency college events to support the National Fire Chiefs Council and National Police Chiefs Council joint ‘Operation Spotlight’ which targets young and inexperienced drivers. This year’s theme focused on the importance of not rushing the learning process, seatbelt use and not carrying too many passengers too soon after passing a driving test. (All 3 of these factors feature highly in our statistics for young people who are killed and seriously injured).
Blackburn College was the first event where 500 students were taken off timetable throughout the day. In large groups they received a 30-minute assembly that highlighted Lancashire’s Fatal 5: Inappropriate Speed, Driving Under the Influence, Mobile Phones, Lack of Seatbelt Use and Careless/ Wreckless Driving. This session concluded with a short video of a tragic fatal incident from Great Harwood where a 14-year-old girl, Bonney Barrow died in a collision where her cousin was the driver. He was committing three driving offences which led to the collision. The group was then split into smaller groups and went round a ‘Marketplace’ of bitesize activities. LFRS had 2 sections – the Crashed Car and the Operational Crew from Blackburn talked about their role at Road Traffic Collisions and the equipment they use. The event was also supported by Lancashire Constabulary who ran a bitesize ‘E-bike & E-scooter’ workshop highlighting the dangers and the law around these vehicles. Blackburn with Darwen Council had some beer goggle activities and were supported by drug and alcohol misuse charities.
Lancaster and Morecambe College were an even bigger event with 1200 students being taken off timetable for 1-hour throughout the day to visit a bigger Marketplace with LFRS having two sections, the same as Blackburn College. This was supported by Lancashire Constabulary Roads Policing and Lancashire County Council. Students were able to be immersed into the world of virtual reality and try different activities with beer goggles and learnt the importance of measuring units of alcohol. They also learnt about E-bikes and E-scooters to highlight the dangers they pose and explain which of these vehicles are road legal and the implications of being prosecuted for using an illegal one. This has complemented Lancashire Constabulary Operation Centurion which has a primary focus on anti-social driving. Alarmingly these illegal vehicles were involved in six fatalities and 200 injuries last year on Lancashire’s roads. The students then received a 30-minute Fatal 5 assembly during February as it was logistically impossible to fit it all into one day given the high numbers attending. Students were asked by the college to fill out anonymous evaluation forms where 100% said they felt the day was beneficial and 88% recorded learning throughout the day would make them act in a safer manner in future.
Working with the military to reach young drivers who would not be in school or college, we organised a Christmas Road Safety Campaign that took place at Halton Barracks focused on Lancashire’s Fatal 5: Speeding, Drugs, Alcohol, Mobile Phones and Seatbelts. Over 90 soldiers attended the half-day session, and it was really well received. Statistically, the military lose more soldiers to RTCs as opposed to war zones and they are overrepresented in the statistics.
This was a Lancashire Road Safety Partnership-supported event, with Lancashire County Council attending and delivering an interactive workshop with virtual reality headsets. The Prevention Support Team also delivered a presentation featuring a powerful real-life case study from Lancashire involving a young girl who lost her life in a collision caused by the diver committing multiple driving offences. The presentation included footage from the incident itself, making it particularly impactful. Following this, the soldiers watched a clip from the Master Driver programme, which complemented the Fatal 5 messaging and focus on fatigue, which has been proven to be a common contributing factor in collisions involving military personnel.
Further engagement work has taken place through the delivery of with Wasted Lives sessions to both Police and Air Cadet groups. These sessions were well attended, and feedback from participants was extremely positive. Cadet groups allow us to deliver longer, more interactive sessions than those typically possible within school timetables. We have also identified that some young people attending cadet groups are home educated and may otherwise have missed out on receiving this input. As these cadet groups cater for young people aged 13 to18, the sessions also reach a significant number of learner and newly qualified drivers within this cohort. The offer will continue to be promoted to these groups in order to engage with and raise driver safety awareness among larger numbers of young drivers.
A project to deliver an adapted Wasted Lives session to Young Farmers groups, including the Crashed Car has continued following its launch in December. This work was prompted by concerns raised by staff from On-Call Fire Stations regarding the driving behaviour of some young people operating tractors. These concerns were reflected within the KSI statistics, leading to an offer being shared with Young Farmer groups, with four sessions delivered to date. The sessions include a local case study involving a younger farmer who was prosecuted in Preston following a serious collision. As many of the attendees were already aware of the incident, it helped reinforce the importance of road safety within the farming community. As a result, the sessions have been well attended, with some attracting more than 40 young people, and feedback has been consistently positive. We will continue to engage with other groups across the county in order to expand the project further.
The Wasted Lives package also has the option of being complemented by a ‘crashed car,’ which is a vehicle from a real incident where, tragically, there has been a fatality. Alternatively, the car can be used as a standalone resource at a community event.
We have now completed three full years with Corey Hudson’s vehicle, where the circumstances of the collision were solely speed related. There were no drugs or alcohol involved; Corey made the wrong decision to speed, which ultimately cost him his life. Corey’s story has been very well received by communities across the county, as many drivers recognise that at some point in their driving career they may have made a similar mistake. There were two passengers in the vehicle, neither of whom were wearing seatbelts, and both sustained serious life changing injuries during the RTC. Due to their decision not to wear seatbelts they did not receive substantial payouts from Corey’s insurance. This has significantly strengthened the seatbelt safety message, as it provides a real example of poor decision-making having lifelong implications. Whilst all the vehicles we have previously used have been important engagement tool, Corey’s story has been met with particular empathy, with many people commenting that seeing his car has brought the importance of road safety to the forefront of their minds.
During the 12-month reporting period, crashed car use has increased at Mosques during Friday Prayers. In the Central, Eastern and Pennine areas, staff have worked alongside the Imams to deliver key messages prior to prayers, followed by bespoke sessions for young people attending Madrassas. This activity has been increased around Ramadan and in the lead up to Eid, when high-powered vehicles are rented by young, inexperienced drivers and shared amongst friends and family.
Previously we have struggled to engage with some members of the community about the dangers of speeding, but this engagement continues to improve, with Lancashire Council of Mosques working alongside us to reinforce the importance of our key messages. This was highlighted at the first Road Safety Summit held in Pendle, which was broadcast on the radio to thousands of listeners nationwide. The event included a clear call to action for influential members of the community to come together and drive positive behaviour change, as we continue to share road safety messaging through Awaz radio and the Asian Leader. During the most recent celebration of Eid, Variable Message Signs across the county displayed the same message: ‘Slow Down, Save Lives’ and ‘Reduced Speed Reduces Casualties’.
Biker Down is a course that is aimed at motorcyclists and pillions of all ages and experience. The free 3-hour course offers members of the public an opportunity to learn practical skills which can be applied anywhere at any time. The three modules covered are:
· Incident Management
· First Aid
· The Science of Being Seen
The initiative originated in Kent, and LFRS has signed a memorandum of understanding with Kent Fire and Rescue Service to allow us to use the logo and delivery material.
LFRS has worked with LRSP to ensure delivery is complementary to Bike Safe, a Police-led initiative. Anyone attending Biker Down is encouraged to book onto Bike Safe, which is seen as the next step in training as it involves a ride out with an Advanced Police Motorcyclist. Biker Down is therefore viewed as the start of a motorcyclist’s ‘learning journey.’ During this reporting period there have been 165 motorcyclists killed or seriously injured (KSI), representing 16% of the total KSI figure. Lancashire’s statistics show riders are 72 times more likely to die on a motorcycle than in a car on our roads, higher than the national average of 60. These figures are particularly concerning, as motorcyclists make up less than 1% of Lancashire’s total road user population.
There have been 384 attendees at our 18 Biker Down sessions in the last 12-months.
The appetite for the courses continues to grow, and the Facebook page has reached over 1,300 likes, with some posts achieving a reach over 15,000 people.
All attendees take part in a practical element of the course, including helmet removal and CPR. These are vital skills which may be required if they are faced with a RTC involving a motorcyclist. Feedback consistently highlights how important and valuable this element of the course is.
Below are a few examples:
“An excellent course with very knowledgeable and informative staff. I would not hesitate to recommend this course to anyone I know and the wider biking community.”
“Fantastic, very informative and essential for everyone. Great delivery, well timed and perfect pitch. Very enjoyable as well as useful!”
The pre and post questionnaire continues to show very positive behaviour change. One of the questions asks attendees about their confidence in removing a motorcycle helmet following a RTC, rated on a scale of 1-5 (1 not confident – 5 very confident). Prior to the session, the average rating is 2.19, increasing to 4.78 following completion of the course.
This year, Biker Down was also able to purchase First Aid Kits through the CFA Road Safety Champion budget. These are a valuable takeaway for attendees, containing basic equipment alongside practical instruction on how to use it in the event of an incident requiring first aid.
This delivery model is flexible, with courses hosted for individual motorcycle clubs or advertised via an online booking platform for members of the public to book independently. The Biker Down team aim to deliver 12 courses per year but are currently exceeding this target due to high demand. The team recently delivered a course for an all-female motorcycle club; nationally, some teams struggle to engage female riders, but Lancashire has successfully overcome this barrier.
Over the last 12-months, the team has also developed strong links with Bowker Motorrad, who regularly host courses at their showroom and provide hot food and refreshments for all attendees. The venue can accommodate larger groups, allowing up to 40 attendees per course. The management team were so impressed with the Biker Down product they supported delivery with the use of a brand-new BMW model GS1300 motorcycle, which was sign-written with QR codes linking to course bookings. Unfortunately, after six months of use, Bowker closed their showroom and the team were no longer able to use the bike for engagement. The Biker Down team hopes to replicate this partnership with another franchise in the future.
Over the last 12-months, five of the main Road Safety Summer Events have taken place across the county:
· Leyland
· Preston
· Blackpool
· Morecambe
· Blackburn
Alive to Drive began in Chorley 17 years ago as a collaboration between Lancashire Fire and Rescue and Institute of Advanced Motorists (Chorley Group). Over the years, the event has grown significantly and is now supported by LCC, North West Ambulance Service (NWAS), Lancashire Constabulary (Serious Collision Unit and Neighbourhood Policing Teams), National Highways, Institute of Advanced Motorcyclists, Blood Bikes, Royal British Legion, Wincanton Transport, Specsavers Opticians, Blackpool Council and Blackburn with Darwen (BwD) Council, Tyre Safe, ProTyre, Westgate Tyres and Air Ambulance & Car Seat Safety. The initial aim was to encourage people to sign up to the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorist/ Motorcyclist) courses, and whilst this remains a key focus, the event has expanded to ensure there is relevant information for all ages and types of road users.
The pinnacle of the event is the RTC demonstration. This is a multi-agency demonstration between LFRS, NWAS and Lancashire Constabulary. It allows members of the public to see what happens inside a road closure during an incident. Throughout the demonstration, a representative from each organisation provides live commentary via a Public Address (PA) system, explaining their role at these types of incidents. It also provides the opportunity to interweave key safety messages around Lancashire’s Fatal 5 and the factors which contribute most to serious and fatal RTC: inappropriate speed, driving under the influence, mobile phone use, lack of seatbelt compliance and careless/ reckless driving.
This year’s events have also featured a display of illegal E-bikes/ E-scooters to highlight the dangers they pose, explain which vehicles are road legal, and outline the implications of being prosecuted for using illegal vehicles. This has complemented Lancashire Constabulary Operation Centurion, which has a primary focus on anti-social driving. Alarmingly, these illegal vehicles were involved in six fatalities and 200 injuries last year on Lancashire’s roads last year. A partnership was also established with Global Ardour, who now sponsor the events and provide a scrap car for the RTC demonstration free of charge.
The 2025 Road Safety Campaign was very successful.
Road Safety Week was probably our busiest yet, with extensive activity delivered through a multi-agency approach. We delivered Wasted Lives, alongside a multi-agency marketplace, in the following colleges: West Lancashire, Nelson and Colne and Ormskirk Sixth Form. All three events were a huge success, with very positive feedback being from students:
· 100% of respondents said they felt there was a benefit to attending the event
· 100% of respondents said all the information was relevant to their age group
· 93% of respondents said they will make safer decisions following the input
We also delivered Wasted Lives sessions in several high schools, as well as targeted groups of apprentices at Springfields and BAE, alongside smaller employers.
On International Men’s Day, short Wasted Lives assemblies were delivered to groups of male students at Blackpool Sixth Form. There was an increase in road safety activity across each area, with very targeted education taking place. Each area was tasked with delivering 2 Wasted Lives sessions to at risk groups (Year 10 or 11 in high schools or apprentice groups), many areas did more than asked.
During this reporting period, LFRS Biker Down team also represented the programme at the NEC National Motorcycle Show. This was a very busy day, engaging with motorcyclists from across the country and encouraging them to book additional training such as Biker Down or Bike Safe Course. Over the course of the show, an estimated 80,000 people attended.
Social media posts reached nearly 60,000 people, with over 2,000 engagements, allowing messages to be shared while also highlighting the key road safety campaign work delivered. In addition, through a partnership with EG Garages, an animated Fatal 5 clip was played on forecourts across the UK. The same clip was also shown on the big screens at all Blackburn Rovers matches at half time, following a road safety awareness event in the run-up to Christmas which included an RTC demonstration.
This 12-month period has been a very positive period for road safety education and our ability to engage with the communities of Lancashire. We have continued to adapt our offerings and, through increased use of technology and innovative ideas from members of the Road Safety Thematic Group, we have delivered road safety education to around 34,000 people in schools, colleges, workplaces, and events.
We continue to be an active member of the LRSP and, look forward to continuing this collaborative approach, with an emphasis on the strengths that our Fire and Rescue Service brings to the partnership, as we work towards our collective ambition of a safer road system.
Focusing on our priorities for 2025-26, we have achieved notable progression and successful outcomes, engaging with pupils in primary, secondary and higher education, and adapting our delivery model to reach groups outside of these settings. Our action plan for the forthcoming year builds on this work. Engagement figures have remained high, and we will continue to build on this year on year. We have identified that KSI figures for young road users are increasing, and our efforts will focus on how we can reduce this over the coming months. We have begun working with Child and Youth Justice Service as part of the Serious Violence Duty, delivering bespoke Wasted Lives sessions, which is a piece of work we are looking to expand.
Over the next 12-months, we will focus on further evaluation of all our road safety initiatives, campaigns and educational packages. This evaluation will consider four key areas: whether our targeting is correct and appropriate, whether we are delivering according to end-user expectations, whether we are influencing positive behaviour change, and whether we are delivering value for money (i.e. for every £1 spent on prevention, what is saved in terms of incident prevention). An emerging trend is collisions involving senior road users (65+ years). A leaflet, ‘Are your eyes fit to Drive’ has been produced for inclusion in the Home Fire Safety Checks. This piece of work is likely to be expanded if this trend continues.
Each road death costs society £2.3 million; therefore, every life saved will save a large amount of public money. However, more importantly, behind each death is a bereaved family whose lives are changed forever, often as the result of a poor decision. Our staff are well placed to educate our communities and reinforce that road safety is everyone’s responsibility.
Continuous review and scrutiny through LRSP ensures we are targeting our engagement towards vulnerable and at-risk groups throughout Lancashire and beyond.