Behavioural Research in Road Safety 2005: Fifteenth Seminar

In 2002 the Department for Transport (Df T) added a requirement to the 2010 casualty reduction target to tackle the significantly higher incidence in disadvantaged communities. In October 2002, the Government launched the £17 million Neighbourhood Road Safety Initiative (NRSI). Fifteen local authorities, mainly in the north of England, with high casualty rates and levels of deprivation were invited to participate in the initiative and bid for funding. Local authorities were encouraged to think holistically about their individual situations, seeking to treat root cause rather than symptom targeting interventions to break road accident causal chains at any number of points. The Df T expected authorities to include a variety of solutions, including a mix of engineering, education, enforcement and health promotion activities. It also encouraged authorities to work with one another to share experience and expertise, and to work in partnership with a range of local stakeholders. The central objective is to reduce the accident rates in the most deprived wards in each local authority to a greater extent than the rest of the wards in the local authority, and thereby reduce inequalities. Whilst accident reduction is the primary aim of the NRSI, it is hoped there are wider impacts. By improving environmental safety, creating or improving facilities for play and social interaction, this may lead to greater mobility and greater experience of social capital, both of which can impact on quality of life in terms of health. This paper describes how the NRSI is being evaluated in terms of these wider impacts.