Appendix 1
Annual Report
Road Safety Intervention Activity 2024-2025
Introduction
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.
Road Safe Thematic Group
During 2024 - 2025 the Thematic Road Safety Group continued to meet every quarter, with an option of both in person and virtual meetings. We have membership from all areas of the county and a mix of Community Safety and Operational Staff. CFA Member and Road Safety Champion Cllr Fred Jackson has close links with the group and is in regular communication with the Prevention Support Officer for Road Safety.
An annual work programme which supports the Lancashire Road Safety Partnership ‘Towards 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 Road Safety Partnership (LRSP)
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 – ‘Towards Zero’ Lancashire: Road Safety Strategy for Lancashire 2016 – 2026’, in an attempt to reduce those killed or seriously injured on our roads.
LFRS play a very active role in the Children and Young People workstream (as chair) and the Powered 2 Wheelers / Ebike and Escooter 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 share up to date statistics which enables the group to quickly identify any emerging issues and formulate an appropriate response.
The LRSP continue to work through the action plan following the review of the partnership completed in 2022. There has been significant change in the year 23/24 with the loss of both members of staff – the Coordinator and Manager. In this reporting period due to a change in Police and Crime Commissioners Office, Area Manager Matt Hamer has been voted in 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.
LFRS Road Safety Core Prevention Offer
1. Road Sense
Road Sense is the name given to the road safety education programme delivered to Year 6 pupils. It is a mixed session starting with a 20-minute fire safety recap then a 40-minute road safety input. This gives an opportunity to draw on a previous session the pupils will have received in Year 2 and explores the consequences of hoax calls and deliberate fires. During this reporting period information was added about Ebikes and Escooters, to cover both the fire safety and road safety issues.
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
· Ebikes & Escooters
Our package has been adopted by 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 97% 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 QR code allows the teachers to give more honest feedback and improves the efficiency of the process, any feedback received can be delt with in a timely manner as we are not relying on paper forms being received through the post. This feedback has enabled the Road Safe 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. The feedback from teachers noted additional groupwork would complement the session so this has been made clearer for the delivery 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.
Here are a couple of examples of feedback received from teachers following a Road Sense delivery:
“Lots of useful information given to children that really needed the information. Children were engaged fully throughout. Many thanks.”
“Session was delivered extremely well, and any questions were answered. Everything was explained perfectly for the children to understand.”
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:
“Pay attention when crossing the roads and be safe be seen.”
“Wear helmet when cycling and do not wear dark clothing and get out stay out call 999.”
There are 6 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 19,303 Year 6 pupils receiving this input, with 603 sessions being delivered.
2. ‘Wasted Lives’ Young Driver Road Safety Education Programme
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 – 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 135,000 young people throughout Lancashire, Blackpool, and Blackburn with Darwen. For the period 2024–2025 LFRS has recorded delivery of the programme to 7,432 young people, mainly face-to-face delivery but with some virtual 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. As we have developed different ways of working, we are now offering a short 15-minute virtual version of Wasted Lives during Road Safety Week. Schools now have 3 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. Because of this and with LFRS Prevention Support Officer for Road Safety leading the Young Driver Group for LRSP a trial has been taking place with a number of colleges to formulate a delivery plan for the 25 – 26 Academic year.
The delivery will consist of 3 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, North West 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 Collison (RTC) through the use of VR headsets.
· Gold Delivery – as Silver above plus a live Road Traffic Collision Demonstration with a real casualty extraction.
600 students from Myerscough College received the Silver input on the run up to the Easter break. The college was very grateful for the delivery and felt it was an invaluable day for the students to be taken off timetable to attend.
“It was a fantastic day, it gave the students a fantastic, informative, educational experience!”
The feedback from teachers in high schools also continues to be very positive with a similar theme about behaviour change and an engaging session being received:
“Engaging session for our year 10 students with key facts and statistics used well to emphasise points.”
“Session was delivered with respect and sensitivity whilst also delivering an important message to those just starting their driving careers.”
In an attempt to reach young drivers who would not be in school or college a Christmas Road Safety Campaign took place at Halton Barracks focusing on Lancashire’s Fatal 5. This includes Speeding, Drugs, Alcohol, Mobile Phones and Seatbelts.
Over 70 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 providing an interactive workshop with Virtual Reality headsets. The Prevention Support Team did a presentation to the group which included a clip about a young girl, Bonnie Barrow who was tragically killed in Lancashire by her cousin driving under the influence and on his mobile phone, whilst speeding. This included footage of the crash itself so is very impactful. Following on from this input the soldiers watched a clip from the Master Driver which complements the Fatal 5 and went on to focus on fatigue, a common contributing factor in collisions involving military personnel.
2.1 The Crashed Car
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 two full years with Corey Hudson’s vehicle where the circumstances of his collision were solely speed related. He had no alcohol or drugs in his system, he made a wrong decision to speed which cost him his life. Corey’s story has been very well received by communities across the county as most drivers recognise at some point in their driving career they have made a similar mistake. There were 2 passengers in the vehicle, neither were wearing seatbelts and both sustained serious, life changing injuries during the RTC. Due to their own decisions to not put their seatbelts on they have not received substantial payouts from Corey’s insurance. This very much strengthened the seatbelt safety message as it was a real example of poor decision making having lifelong implications. Whilst all the vehicles we have had in the past have been a very important engagement tool Corey’s story has been met with empathy and many people have commented how seeing his car has really brought the importance of road safety to the forefront of their minds.
In the 12-month reporting period, the crashed car has increased in use at Mosques during Friday Prayers. In Central, Eastern and Pennine areas, staff have worked alongside the Imam to deliver key messages prior to prayers and then deliver bespoke sessions to young people at the Madrassas. This activity has been increased around Ramadan on the run up to Eid where commonly high-powered vehicles are rented by young inexperienced drivers and shared amongst friends and family.
A partnership with Lancashire Partnership Against Crime (LANPAC), has covered the cost of a scrap car to be cut up at a Mosque in Preston, funding for a further 5 has been secured. This forms part of a wider piece of work to increase our engagement with our ethnic minority communities across the county. Previously we have struggled to engage with some members of the community about the dangers of speed, but this engagement is ever increasing with Lancashire Council of Mosques working alongside us to share the importance of our key messages. This was highlighted at the 1st Road Safety Summit that took place in Pendle, an event that was broadcast over the radio to thousands of listeners country wide. There was a ‘call to action’ for influential members of the community to come together and drive positive behaviour change.
3. Biker Down
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 a chance to learn practical skills which can be put into practice anywhere at any time. The three modules covered are:
· Incident Management
· First Aid
· The Science of Being Seen
The initiative started 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 the delivery is complementary to Bike Safe, which is a Police led initiative. Anyone who attends 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 seen as the start of a motorcyclists ‘learning journey.’ During this reporting period there have been 144 motorcyclists killed or seriously injured (KSI). This is 14% of the total KSI figure. Lancashire’s statistics showed you were 72 times more likely to die on a motorcycle than in a car on our roads, higher than the national average of 60. These statistics are very concerning as motorcyclists make up less than 1% of Lancashire’s total road user population.
There have been 309 attendees at our 18 Biker Down sessions in the last 12 months.
The appetite for the courses continues to be apparent and the Facebook page has reached over 1,200 likes with the reach of posts sometimes exceeding 1500 people.
All attendees take part in a practical element of the course which includes helmet removal and CPR. These are important skills which may be needed should they be faced with a road traffic collision involving a motorcyclist. Feedback from attendees mirrors how important this part of the course is and how valuable they felt it was.
Below are a few examples:
“I am first aid trained and teach first aid at cadets. Biker first aid is different with different challenges and as a rider who has come off I feel this course has proven invaluable. Thank you.”
“Superb course. So many helpful tips and a great confidence builder. Thank you!”
The pre and post questionnaire maintains very positive feedback about the behaviour change impacts of the session. One of the questions the attendees are asked is around their confidence to remove a motorcycle helmet following a road traffic collision. The scale they use is 1-5 (1 not confident – 5 very confident). Prior to the session the average rating is 2.19 but increases to 4.77 following the session.
This year, Biker Down was fortunate to be gifted First Aid Kits by a bereaved widow who said from her husband attending a course he never stopped talking about how much he enjoyed the session and learnt from it. A collection from his funeral was split and she was happy to be able to contribute towards something useful for future attendees of the course.
The delivery model is flexible so courses can be hosted for individual motorcycle clubs or advertised using an online booking platform for members of the public to book on independently. The Biker Down team aim to run 12 courses per year but are currently far exceeding that aspiration due to such a high demand for courses.
Over the last 12 months the team have forged very strong links with Bowker Motorrad who regularly host courses at their showroom. Bowker also provide hot food and refreshments for all attendees. The venue is big so can accommodate larger groups, enabling up to 40 attendees per course.
4. Alive to Drive Events
Alive to Drive is a long-standing road safety event initiative. The event initially started as a partnership between LFRS and Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) in Chorley 16 years ago. Since its inception, the event had grown from strength to strength and the partners who attend have grown. During this reporting period, 4 events took place in South Ribble, Preston, Blackpool, and Blackburn. These events are free to members of the public and allow them an insight as to what happens at an RTC. There is an RTC demo at each event with a live casualty extraction that is fully compared involving LFRS, Police, NWAS and National Highways. One of the key messages that is pushed throughout the day is that when roads are closed for long periods it is for the safety of staff working at the scene and to ensure the best possible casualty care for those involved. Whist people get frustrated we encourage them to be glad they are not involved in the incident itself.
As well as looking to educate members of the public of all ages and road user types there is particular emphasis based on signing young drivers (17-25yrs) up to the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) Course at a reduced rate, partly funded by LRSP. The plan for these events next year is to run one per geographical area due to the success and high attendance. The partners involved include Police, LCC, NWAS, National Highways, IAM, South Lancs Advanced Motorcyclists, Blood Bikes, Mountain Rescue, Royal British Legion Riders, Tyre Safe, Pro Tyre, Fresh Drivers, Blackburn with Darwen Council, Blackpool Council and Wincanton.
5. Road Safety Week 2024
The 17th November marked the start of National Road Safety Week. This week is organised by BRAKE, a charity who support families who are bereaved as a result of a road traffic collision. On the Sunday, Area Manager, Phil Jones and Prevention Support Officer, Clare Burscough attended a multi-cultural service at Country Hall to mark World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. This service was attended by members of Lancashire Road Safety Partnership and bereaved families from across Lancashire. Area Manager Jones read a reading and laid a wreath.
An event took place at Springfield Power Plant delivering Wasted Lives to all new apprentices with the inclusion of the crashed car trailer. As the apprentices are well paid, they often drive newer, faster vehicles than other young people their age, so it was a really important group to deliver a session too.
At West Lancs College, a Wasted Lives Session was delivered then an extrication demo by Red Watch for the Public Service and Motorsport students to witness and better understand what happens in the event of an RTC. The display confirmed learning from the classroom-based part of the session and engaged learners well.
Two Biker Down sessions were delivered during the week, firstly a large session at Bowker BMW, then a slightly smaller session at Chorley Fire Station for a womens’ motorcycle club. Biker Down very much supported this year’s theme of 'After The Crash,' two-thirds of the session is Incident Management and First Aid. Attendees of both sessions engaged fully with the input and enjoyed the practical activities of helmet removal and basic life support.
The biggest event of the week was a multi-agency attended full day at Burnley College. The highlight of the day was a Road Traffic Collision demonstration that utilised students from the college. The day started with an assembly style input of Wasted Lives paying particular importance to Lancashire's 'Fatal 5' which explores the 5 most common causes of fatal collisions. Following this the students watched a video that had been produced by Performing Arts students then were taken outside to watch the demo. Throughout the afternoon all partners had a stall outside, and all students were timetabled to attend.
Summary
This 12-month period has been a really positive period for Road Safety Education and our ability to engage with the communities of Lancashire. We have continued to adapt our offerings and, with increased use of technology and innovative ideas by members of the Road Safety Thematic Group, this has meant that we have delivered road safety education to around 32,500 people.
We continue to be an active member of the LRSP and, building on the review, look forward to continuing to be involved in a collaborative approach. This will have an emphasis on the strengths that our brand as a Fire and Rescue Service can bring to the partnership as we work to deliver our collective ambition of a safer road system.
Focusing on our priorities for 2024/25, we have achieved some notable progression and successful outcomes, engaging with pupils in primary, secondary and higher education and adapting our delivery model to reach groups who are not in these education establishments. Our action plan for the forthcoming year builds on this. The figures have maintained a high level, and we will continue to build on this year on year. We have identified that young road user KSIs are on the increase and our efforts will be focused on how we can reduce this over the coming months. This will run in conjunction with a review of the Wasted Lives packages over the summer of 2025 to ensure a fresh approach for the new academic year.
Over the next 12 months, we will be focussing on further evaluation of all our Road Safety initiatives, campaigns, and educational packages. This evaluation will look at 4 distinct areas; Is our targeting correct and appropriate, are we delivering according to end user expectations, are we influencing a positive behaviour change and are we delivering value for money (i.e. for every £1 spent on prevention what does that save in terms of prevention of an incident).
Each road death costs society 2.3 million so every life saved will save a large amount of public money. However, behind each death is, more importantly a bereaved family whose lives are changed forever, often as the result of a poor decision. Our staff are well placed to educate our community to come together and recognise that road safety is everyone’s responsibility.
All our Road Safety Delivery is focused on the risks we identify in Lancashire, a continuous check of this at the LRSP meetings ensures we are focusing our engagement on vulnerable or at-risk groups.