Agenda item

Area Manager (AM) Matt Hamer and Prevention Support Officer Clare Burscough presented the annual report regarding Road Safety Intervention Activity which explained the Service’s core prevention offer and also the challenges on Lancashire’s roads.

 

Members noted that, through the Prevention Strategy 2022-2027, prevention and protection services and the structure for delivery were reviewed to ensure that the Service was delivering appropriate services in line with the changing operating environment. As a result, working practices had changed with a strategic focus on the quality of the services that continued to be delivered. The services were delivered around key themes: helping people to start safe, live safe, age safe, be safe on Lancashire’s roads, and be safe in and around water, with a focus on working collaboratively with other organisations. To ensure constant improvement in all parts of prevention delivery, the Service had dedicated thematic groups whose priorities aligned to the more recent Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP) 2022-2027 and Strategic Assessment of Risk alongside District Plans.

 

Road Safe Thematic Group

 

The Thematic Road Safety Group continued to meet every quarter during 2024-2025 with an option of in-person and virtual meetings. Membership of the group came from all areas of the county and was a mix of Community Safety and Operational Staff.

 

An annual plan aligned to the terms of reference had been developed alongside a priority work programme which supported the Lancashire Road Safety Partnership (LRSP) ‘Towards Zero’ strategy. An ambition of the group was to improve communication between strategic and practitioner levels and also to send clear messages out to Service Areas with key road safety priorities. The Service sought to deliver focused activities in areas identified as having issues and evaluate effectiveness.

 

The Service continued to offer a variety of delivery methods for the community, improving reach and efficacy. The offer of virtual delivery remained part of the service’s plan and continued 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 was responsible for ensuring all road safety packages were kept up to date and continuous evaluation of the feedback received was considered and steered change where appropriate.

 

Lancashire Road Safety Partnership (LRSP)

 

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) continued to be a proactive member of LRSP and had representatives at both Strategic and Operational group level. The partners worked closely with each other and delivered the partnership strategy ‘Towards Zero’ Lancashire: Road Safety Strategy for Lancashire 2016 – 2026’, in an attempt to reduce those killed or seriously injured on Lancashire’s roads.

 

LFRS played an active role on 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 brought partners together to look at what was currently delivered, what worked well and where the gaps where so that resources could be pooled to work effectively and without duplication. At each meeting, Lancashire County Council (LCC) shared up to date statistics which enabled the group to quickly identify any emerging issues and formulate an appropriate response.

 

The LRSP continued to work through the action plan following the review of the partnership completed in 2022. There had been significant change in the year 23/24 with the loss of both members of staff (the Coordinator and Manager). In the current reporting period, due to a change in the Police and Crime Commissioner Office, Area Manager Matt Hamer had been voted in as Chair of the Lancashire Road Safety Partnership and had the responsibility of steering the Challenge Board. Under the new format, the Delivery Group provided a detailed report for the Challenge Board, so each organisation was more accountable were more accountable than they had been previously.

 

LFRS Road Safety Core Prevention Offer

 

1. Road Sense
2. Wasted Lives – Young Driver Road Safety Education Programme

 2.1   The Crashed Car

3. Biker Down
4. Alive to Drive Events
5. Road Safety Week 2024

 

1. Road Sense

 

Road Sense was the name given to the road safety education programme delivered to Year 6 pupils. The session was mixed and started with a 20-minute fire safety recap followed by 40 minutes of road safety input. It provided the opportunity to draw on a previous session the pupils would have received in Year 2 and explored the consequences of hoax calls and deliberate fires. During the current reporting period, information was added about Ebikes and Escooters, to cover both the fire safety and road safety issues.

 

The Package focused 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.

 

Staywise had now adopted the package. Staywise was an online resource website for Fire and Rescue Services across the country.

 

Evaluation of the package provided positive feedback from schools with 97% of teachers selecting that they ‘strongly agreed’ the session was age appropriate. Out of the teachers that responded, 98% said they ‘strongly agreed or agreed’ the session would positively affect pupils’ behaviour. Utilising the QR code allowed the teachers to give more honest feedback and improved the efficiency of the process. Any feedback received could be dealt with in a timely manner as there was no reliance on paper forms being returned. This feedback had enabled the Road Safe Thematic Group to update all the delivery slides. Whilst the key messages remained, the package had 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 had been made clearer for the delivery at appropriate points of the presentation. The breakout activities assisted children of that age group to learn from their peers, a recognised learning method which they regularly utilised at school.

 

The following feedback had been 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 continued to be popular, with the inclusion of a QR Code for the pupils to fill in following a session to assist the Service to better evaluate the behaviour change effectiveness of the session as the pupils filled 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 were 6 questions on the form and the correct responses ranged between 83% and 99% of answers. It was extremely positive that the pupils retained such a high percentage of the information they had received as the feedback was not always submitted on the day the session took place. During the reporting period, 19,303 Year 6 pupils had received the input, with 603 sessions delivered.

 

 

2. ‘Wasted Lives’ Young Driver Road Safety Education Programme

 

LFRS was now the only delivery partner for Wasted Lives on behalf of LRSP. The programme was aimed at young people and pre-drivers which aimed to influence behaviour and change attitudes either as a driver or a passenger, thereby reducing risk to that specific group and to other road users.

 

By actively engaging with the age group of 15 - 25-year-olds, Wasted Lives aimed 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 had demonstrated how the package promoted real and lasting changes in how each participant behaved in a car. Since the introduction of Wasted Lives in 2010, LFRS had delivered road safety education to over 135,000 young people throughout Lancashire, including Blackpool, and Blackburn with Darwen. For the period 2024-2025, LFRS had delivered the programme to 7,432 young people, mainly face-to-face delivery but with some virtual sessions. Largely, schools opted for an assembly as timetable constraints made this an easier option. 

 

A suite of assembly session had been developed which could be adapted in length to fit in with schools’ timetables. As the Service had developed different ways of working, it now offered a short 15-minute virtual version of Wasted Lives during Road Safety Week. Schools had 3 delivery options and with the Service being more flexible in what it could deliver and how, more young people could be reached. Whilst the focus was primarily on delivery in high schools, there had been an increase in the number of requests for delivery to apprentice groups and colleges following the removal of Safe Drive Stay Alive through LRSP. Due to this and with LFRS Prevention Support Officer for Road Safety leading the Young Driver Group for LRSP a trial had been taking place with a number of colleges to formulate a delivery plan for the 25 – 26 Academic year.

 

The delivery would 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 would 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 continued 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 included Speeding, Drugs, Alcohol, Mobile Phones and Seatbelts.

 

Over 70 soldiers attended the half-day session, and it was really well received. Statistically, the military lost more soldiers to RTCs as opposed to war zones and they were overrepresented in the statistics.

 

This was a Lancashire Road Safety Partnership supported event with Lancashire County Council (LCC) 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 was very impactful. Following on from this input, the soldiers watched a clip from the Master Driver which complemented the Fatal 5 and went on to focus on fatigue, a common contributing factor in collisions involving military personnel.

 

The Chair asked who was the best point of contact to provide inputs for schools, as she was providing support on a case with children aged two and upwards. Clare Burscough confirmed that this age group would be covered by the Safer Travel Team at LCC. AM Matt Hamer added that if he was appraised of the details he could also share information with the relevant partnership groups.

 

In response to a question from County Councillor J Tetlow in relation to accessing roads that are inaccessible due to the type of road and the way vehicles have been parked, AM Matt Hamer advised that the public response was strong in response to blue lights and vehicles would often move out of the way to allow access. He added that LFRS work with schools to ensure parking around school start and finish times still allowed access to emergency service and schools were proactive in this area.

 

County Councillor J Tetlow asked a further question in relation to passing red lights to allow emergency vehicles access. AM Phil Jones confirmed that this was an offence and as such LFRS staff were trained to wait at red lights so members of the public did not pass red lights. AM Matt Hamer added that LFRS vehicles responding to an emergency would use their exemptions and anticipate the roads ahead to ensure they arrived at incidents safely.

 

In response to a question from County Councillor M Clifford in relation to offering the course to larger employers. Clare Burscough confirmed that the course was delivered to BAE apprenticeships. AM Phil Jones added that the delivery of courses was risk driven and once a risk was identified the prevention team would approach as appropriate. AM Matt Hamer added that delivery of the course was a benefit for big employers as employees would often have access to pool cars. AM Matt Hamer added that members were welcome to attend a course and this could be facilitated through the prevention team.

 

2.1 The Crashed Car

 

The Wasted Lives package also had the option of being complemented by a ‘crashed car’, which was a vehicle from a real incident where, tragically, there had been a fatality. Alternatively, the car could be used as a standalone resource at a community event. The Service now completed a full year with Corey Hudson’s vehicle where the circumstances of the collision were solely speed related. He had no alcohol or drugs in his system, and he made a wrong decision to speed which cost him his life. Corey’s story had been well received by communities across the county as most drivers recognised at some point in their driving career, they had made similar mistakes. There were 2 passengers in the vehicle who were not wearing seatbelts and both sustained serious, life changing injuries during the Road Traffic Collision (RTC). Due to their own decisions not to put their seatbelts on, they had not received substantial payouts from Corey’s insurance. This strengthened the seatbelt message as it was a real example of the lifelong implications that poor decision making had. Whilst all the vehicles LFRS had in the past had 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. This vehicle was to be decommission and work was ongoing with the Road Policing Team to identify a replacement.

 

In the 12-month reporting period, the crashed car had increased in use at Mosques during Friday Prayers. In Central, Eastern and Pennine areas, staff had worked alongside the Imam to deliver key messages prior to prayers and then deliver bespoke sessions to young people at the Madrassas. This activity had been increased around Ramadan on the run up to Eid where commonly high-powered vehicles were 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 had been secured. This formed part of a wider piece of work to increase engagement with ethnic minority communities across the county. Previously, we struggled to engage with some members of the community about the dangers of speed, but this engagement was ever increasing with Lancashire Council of Mosques working alongside us to share the importance of our key messages. This was highlighted at the 1^st 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 was a course that was aimed at motorcyclists and pillions of all ages and experience. The free 3-hour course offered members of the public a chance to learn practical skills which could be put into practice anywhere at any time.

 

The 3 modules covered were:

 

-       Incident Management;

-       First Aid;

-       The Science of Being Seen.

 

The initiative started in Kent and LFRS had signed a memorandum of understanding with Kent Fire and Rescue Service to allow the Service to use the logo and delivery material.

 

LFRS had worked with LRSP to ensure that delivery was complementary to Bike Safe, which was a Police-led initiative. Anyone who attended Biker Down was encouraged to book onto Bike Safe which was seen as the next step in training as it involved a ride out with an Advanced Police Motorcyclist. Biker Down was seen as the start of a motorcyclists ‘learning journey’.

 

During the reporting period, there had been 144 motorists killed or seriously injured (KSI). This was 14% of the total KSI figure. Lancashire’s statistics showed that someone was 72 times more likely to die on a motorcycle than in a car on the road, higher than the national average of 60. These statistics were very concerning as motorists made up less than 1% of Lancashire’s total road user population.

 

There had been 309 attendees at 18 Biker Down sessions.

 

Appetite for the courses continued to be apparent with the Facebook page reaching over 1,200 likes and the reach of posts sometimes exceeding 1500 people.

 

All attendees took part in a practical element of the course which included helmet removal and CPR. These were really important skills which might be needed should they be faced with a road traffic collision involving a motorcyclist. Feedback from attendees mirrored how important this part of the course was and how valuable they felt it was.

 

Feedback included:

 

“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 maintained very positive feedback about the behaviour change impacts of the session. One of the questions the attendees were asked was around their confidence to remove a motorcycle helmet following a road traffic collision. The scale they used was 1-5 (1 not confident – 5 very confident). Prior to the session, the average rating was 2.9 but increased 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 and 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 was flexible so courses could 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 currently far exceeded that aspiration due to such a high demand for courses.

 

Over the last 12 months the team had forged very strong links with Bowker Motorrad who regularly hosted courses at their showroom. Bowker also provide hot food and refreshments for all attendees. The venue was big so could accommodate larger groups, enabling up to 40 attendees per course.

 

4.  Alive to Drive Events

 

Alive to Drive was 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 attended had grown. During the reporting period, 4 events took place in South Ribble, Preston, Blackpool, and Blackburn. These events were free to members of the public and allowed them an insight as to what happened at an RTC. There was an RTC demo at each event which involved LFRS, Police, North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) and National Highways. One of the key messages that was pushed throughout the day was that when roads were closed for long periods it was for the safety of staff working at the scene and to ensure the best possible casualty care for those involved. Whist people got frustrated they were encouraged to be glad they were not involved in the incident itself.

 

As well as looking to educate members of the public of all ages and road user types, there was 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 was to run one per geographical area due to the success and high attendance. The partners involved included 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 was organised by BRAKE, a charity who supported families who were 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 delivered 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 were well paid, they often drove 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 was 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 explored 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

 

The 12-month period had been a really positive period for Road Safety Education and the Service’s ability to engage with the communities of Lancashire. The Service continued to adapt its offerings and, with increased use of technology and innovative ideas by members of the Road Safety Thematic Group, this meant that road safety education had been delivered to around 32,500 people.

 

The Service continued to be an active member of the LRSP and, building on the review, looked forward to continuing to be involved in a collaborative approach. This would have an emphasis on the strengths that the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service brand could bring to the partnership working to deliver the collective ambition of a safer road system.

 

Focusing on the Service’s priorities for 2024/25, some notable progression and successful outcomes had been achieved, engaging with pupils in primary, secondary and higher education and adapting our delivery model to reach groups who were not in these education establishments. Our action plan for the forthcoming year built on this. The figures had maintained a high level, and we would continue to build on this year on year. We had identified that young road user KSIs were on the increase and our efforts would be focused on how we could reduce this over the coming months. This would 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, the Service would be focusing on further evaluation of Road Safety initiatives, campaigns, and educational packages. The evaluation would 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 costed society £2.3 million so every life saved would save a large amount of public money. However, behind each death was, more importantly, a bereaved family whose lives were changed forever, often as the result of a poor decision. Staff were well placed to educate the community to come together an recognise that road safety was everyone’s responsibility.

 

All the Service’s Road Safety Delivery was focused on the risks identified in Lancashire and a continuous check of this at LRSP meetings ensured focus on engagement of vulnerable ot at-risk groups. 

 

Resolved: - That the Committee noted and endorsed the Annual Road Safety Intervention report.