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Annex C Consultation with users and providers of road accident statistics, and reviews of the "Stats 19" specification and the statistical publications

1. Introduction

This Annex describes briefly the arrangements for consulting the users and providers of the road accident statistics. It then gives some information about the reviews of the "Stats 19" road accident statistics specification and of the road accident statistics publications. Finally, it describes the changes to the "Stats 19" specification which were implemented in 2005.

2. The Liaison Group on Road Accident Statistics ( LGRAS)

The Scottish Executive ( SE) consults the Liaison Group on Road Accident Statistics ( LGRAS), whose members include representatives of each Police Force and of the Association of Chief Police Officers (Scotland), of some individual local authorities and of the Society of Chief Officers of Transportation in Scotland, and of other types of user of the statistics, including the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, the Institute of Road Safety Officers in Scotland, a transport consultant, and an academic researcher. LGRAS meets, on average, once a year. It discusses matters such as the arrangements for the supply of the road accident statistics data, the quality of the information that is collected and the implications for the use of the data for certain purposes, the likely availability of other information, proposals for changes to the "Stats 19" road accident statistics specification, and improvements to the range of road accidents statistics which SE publishes or otherwise makes available.

Copies of the LGRAS papers are also sent to some other interested parties, including the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities ( COSLA) and a contact at every local authority which is not represented on the Group. In addition, the LGRAS papers and minutes (for 2000 onwards) are available on the SE Web site, at: www.scotland.gov.uk/transtat/lgras. Further information about LGRAS can be obtained from its Secretary, Andrew Knight (see page 2 of this publication).

3. The Standing Committee on Road Accident Statistics ( SCRAS)

Users and providers of road accident statistics across Great Britain are consulted via the Standing Committee on Road Accident Statistics ( SCRAS), which is chaired by the Department for Transport (DfT). Its members include representatives of the Association of Chief Police Officers (Scotland), COSLA, SE, and other interested parties from across Great Britain. SCRAS is responsible for reviewing the GB-wide "Stats 19" road accident statistics specification (see below) and discusses other aspects of the collection and use of the road accident statistics.

Further information about SCRAS is available from Linden Francis of the DfT Road Accident Statistics branch (direct line: 020 7944 3078) and from the DfT Transport Statistics Web site - go to: www.dft.gov.uk/transtat/scras

4. Reviews of the "Stats 19" road accident statistics specification

Government statistical surveys are reviewed regularly to ensure that the information that they provide meets users' needs, and to reduce the costs of data provision, if possible. The collection of road accident statistics is reviewed by SCRAS.

The 2002 Quality Review of road accident statistics started in July 2001, when a "scoping paper" and questionnaires were sent to users and providers of road accident statistics across Great Britain. Those consulted were asked for their views on the matters that SCRAS felt that the review should address, and to suggest other possible improvements. SE distributed the paper and questionnaires to LGRAS members and to recipients of LGRAS papers. In October 2001, LGRAS discussed Scottish views, having seen the (anonymised) Scottish responses and a summary of the main points raised by respondents elsewhere. SCRAS and its working groups then considered all the suggestions for changes, and produced interim recommendations, which were discussed by LGRAS in June 2002. Subsequently, SCRAS and its working groups revised and developed further the proposals for changes. In Spring 2003, these were discussed by LGRAS and at a series of meetings in Wales and the regions of England. The details of the changes were finalised in the light of the comments made then.

In preparation for the implementation, at the start of 2005, of the changes arising from the Review, the "Stats 19" and the "Stats 21" specifications (see Annex B) for 2005 onwards were sent to police forces and local authorities in December 2003. Subsequently, DfT made a few minor changes to the labelling of some of the "Stats 19" variables and code values, during the development of a standard paper form for recording details of road accidents which is, we understand, used by almost all the police forces in England and Wales. The "Stats 20" detailed notes and definitions (see Annex B) were sent to police forces and local authorities at the start of November 2004.

Copies of the list of changes, and the "Stats 19", "Stats 20" and "Stats 21" are available from the SE Transport Statistics Web site (see section 2 of Annex B). The report of the Review is available from the National Statistics website - go to: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/about/data/methodology/quality/reviews/transport.asp

A summary of the changes appears in Section 6 of this Annex.

5. Reviews of road accident statistics publications

"Road Accidents Scotland 2000" was the last edition to compare the latest figures with the 1981-85 average levels (the "baseline" for the casualty reduction target for 2000). "Road Accidents Scotland 2001" was the first edition to include instead the 1994-98 average levels (the "baseline" for the casualty reduction targets for 2010). Because many of the tables and charts had to be changed, SE reviewed the content of the publication before setting what could become the pattern for the next ten years' editions. In October 2001, SE consulted LGRAS about some possibilities. Readers of "Road Accidents Scotland 2000" were then asked, by means of a questionnaire enclosed with every copy, for their views on possible changes for the "2001" edition. SE revised its proposals to take account of the results of the survey. These revised proposals were discussed by LGRAS in June 2002. SE then finalised "Road Accidents Scotland 2001" in the light of the views expressed by LGRAS members.

In May 2002, as part of the Quality Review, DfT conducted a GB-wide survey of users of road accident statistics, to obtain views on, and suggestions for improvements to, the dissemination of, and access to, road accident statistics. Users were asked to comment on both the range of printed publications and the information which is (or could become) available electronically from Web sites and elsewhere. A number of points were made by Scottish respondents, and by Professor Richard Allsop (the external Assessor to the Review) in his report (which forms part of the overall report of the Review - see section 4). SE considered these points and, in May 2003, consulted LGRAS about the changes that it proposed to make in the light of them. LGRAS members were also asked if there were other changes that they would like made to the SE's road accident statistics publications and to the information (such as the spreadsheet versions of the publications' tables) that would be made available on its Web site. SE then finalised the list of changes for "Road Accidents Scotland 2002" (and its plans for developing the information to be made available on its Web site) in the light of the views of the members of LGRAS. The SE Transport Statistics Web site was subsequently launched in 2003 and information on what it contains and how to access this is given in the section "The Scottish Executive Transport Statistics Web Pages" in this publication.

6. The changes to the "Stats 19" road accident statistics specification with effect from 2005

The variables and code-lists which were used from 1999 to 2004 inclusive are shown in Annex B of Road Accidents Scotland 2004".

The changes which took effect from January 2005 are described below. The main changes were the addition of several new variables, which are described below in Section 6.A:

• contributory factors - the aim of collecting these is to help to identify the key actions and failures that were thought to have contributed to the occurrence of the accident, in the opinion of the reporting officer at the time the report was made;
• whether foreign registered vehicle;
• journey purpose of the driver/rider; and
• whether pedestrian injured in the course of 'on the road' work.

In addition:

• some of the existing variables and their codes were modified (e.g. some of the codes for "type of vehicle" were changed) - see Section 6.B; and
• two variables were deleted - see Section 6.C.

The notes below provide a summary of the changes that were made. (The reference numbers which are shown for most of the variables [e.g. 2.28 for "Foreign Registered Vehicle"] are those that appear in "Stats 20".) The full code-lists which applied for each variable with effect from the start of January 2005 appear in the "illustrative" "Stats 19" forms in Annex B. More detailed documentation of the changes made at the start of 2005 is available from the SE Transport Statistics Web site (see section 2 of Annex B).

6.A New Variables

6.A.1 Attendant Circumstances record

Contributory Factors

Up to six sets of Contributory Factor data can be recorded per accident.

Each set contains three pieces of information:

• a factor which is thought to have contributed to the occurrence of the accident - selected from a code-list with 77 entries, such as:
  • exceeding speed limit ( CF code 306);
  • travelling too fast for the conditions (307);
  • failed to look properly (405);
  • impaired by alcohol (501);
  • impaired by drugs (illicit or medicinal) (502);
• the participant in the accident to whom the factor is related:
  • whether this is a:
    • Vehicle - in which case the factor may relate to the driver/rider or to the road environment;
    • Casualty - a pedestrian or a passenger in a vehicle; or
    • Uninjured pedestrian.
  • if a Vehicle or a Casualty, the relevant "Stats 19" reference;
• whether it was thought "very likely" or just "possible" that this factor contributed to the occurrence of the accident.

Full details of the Contributory Factors are shown in the "illustrative" "Stats 19" form in Annex B.

6.A.2 Vehicle record

2.28 Foreign Registered Vehicle

2.29 Journey Purpose of Driver/Rider

This variable's purpose is to identify vehicles whose drivers were on a journey as part of their work. Vehicles whose drivers were commuting to/from work or taking children to/from school, and vehicles being ridden by a child to/from school have separate codes solely to identify more accurately those journeys which were being made in the course of work. That is why this variable does not have a fuller list of journey purposes (such as that collected in the National Travel Survey, which has separate codes for - e.g. - "shopping" etc) - a fuller code-list is simply not necessary.

When a journey has more than one purpose, it is the purpose at the time of the accident which is relevant. For example, in an accident involving a parent travelling to work and taking a child to school, the journey purpose would be "taking pupil to/from school" if the child is in (or leaving) the vehicle when the accident occurs, but would be "commuting" if the accident occurred after the child had left the vehicle.

6.A.3 Casualty Record

3.19 Pedestrian Injured in the Course of 'On the Road' Work

This variable's purpose is to identify pedestrians who were injured whilst carrying out any work activity on public roads (such as delivery services [e.g. postmen], road maintenance or traffic control) and who are immediately recognisable as being in this category. Pedestrians travelling between different work locations are not counted as being in the course of "on the road" work because they may not be readily identifiable as such (it is not expected that police officers should question injured pedestrians in order to identify such people).

6.B Modifications and Clarifications

6.B.1 Attendant Circumstances record

1.14 Road Type
Merge the previously separate 'Dual Carriageway' codes 3 and 4 into code 3
Merge the previously separate 'Single Carriageway' codes 5, 6, 7 and 8 into code 6
Add a new code 7 for 'Slip Roads' (which were previously included in code 2)

1.17 Junction Control
Merge codes 4 "Give way …" and 5 "Uncontrolled" into a single code 4

1.20a Pedestrian Crossing - Human Control
Re-label code 0 as "None within 50 metres"

1.20b Pedestrian Crossing - Physical Facilities
Move 'Footbridge or subway' from code 9 to code 7

1.23 Road Surface Condition
Remove code 6 'Oil or Diesel' and code 7 'Mud' - now recorded under variable 1.24 "Special Conditions at Site"

1.24 Special Conditions at Site
Add code 6 'Oil or Diesel'
Add code 7 'Mud'
Re-label code 4 as "Roadworks" and amend "Stats 20" to define this code as applying to any accident within coned area

1.25 Carriageway Hazards
Remove code 4 'Dogs' and code 5 'Other animal or pedestrian'
Add new code 6 'Pedestrian in carriageway - not injured'
Add new code 7 'Any animal in carriageway (except ridden horse)' - NB: this relates to all animals that may be construed to have been a 'Carriageway Hazard' and not just those animals defined in the road traffic act.

1.26 Did a Police Officer Attend Accident and Complete Record?
Re-label variable (formerly called "Place Accident Reported")
Split code 2 ("Elsewhere") into two:
code 2 "No - accident was reported 'over the counter'" and
code 3 "No - accident was reported using a 'self completion' form"

6.B.2 Vehicle record

2.5 Type of Vehicle
Split motor cycle code 04 ("over 125 cc") into:
code 04 "Motorcycle over 125cc and up to 500cc" and
code 05 "Motorcycle over 500cc ".
Include 'Private Hire Car' in code 8 with 'Taxi', which becomes 08 "Taxi/Private hire car"

2.7 Manoeuvres
Re-label code 04 (previously "stopping") as "Slowing or stopping"
Re-label code 05 (previously "starting") as "Moving off"

2.8 Vehicle Movement Compass Point
Merge all the former separate 'Parked' codes into a single 'Parked' code.

2.9 Vehicle Location at Time of Accident - Restricted Lane / Away from Main Carriageway
Convert to two character field and renumber (formerly it was variable '2.9a')
Relabel code 05 as " Cycleway or shared use footway (not part of main carriageway)".

2.10 Junction Location of Vehicle
Rename (formerly called "Junction Location of Vehicle at First Impact")
Code for all vehicles, regardless of impact
Remove previous code 4 "Did not impact"
Re-label code 0 as "Not at, or within 20 metres of, junction"
Redefine or replace most of the remaining codes, in the process incorporating three of the categories which were covered by the former variable 2.9a

Resulting code-list:

2.12 Hit Object in Carriageway
Merge the former separate "lit" and "unlit" 'Parked Vehicle' codes 03 and 04 into a single code 04
Add code 12 for 'Any animal (except ridden horse)' - N.B. this relates to all animals that may be construed to have been an 'Object' and not just those animals defined in the Road Traffic Act.

2.26 Vehicle Registration Mark
Remove special codes 2 "Foreign/Diplomatic", 3 "Military", 4 "Trade plates" and 9 "Unknown" - in such cases the field should be left blank.

6.B.3 Casualty record

3.10 Pedestrian Location
Change 'Not a pedestrian' from code '00' to BLANK

3.11 Pedestrian Movement
Change 'Not a pedestrian' from code '0' to BLANK

6.B.4 Additional codes for "unknown" for use in "self-reporting" forms

In addition to the changes listed above, codes for "unknown" were added to the code-lists for several variables. The new "unknown" codes are blank, 9 or 99, depending upon the variable concerned. These codes were added for use in cases where the data were obtained from a "self-reporting" form completed by a member of the public, who may well not know the information sought for some of the variables. These codes should not be used in cases where a police officer was involved in the collection of the data (whether at the scene of the accident or taking the details "over the counter" of a Police station). As Scottish police forces have decided not to use the "self-reporting" forms, the additional codes for "unknown" should not be used in Scotland.

6.C Variables Removed from "Stats 19"

2.18 Part(s) Damaged

Up to 3 codes could be entered

2.9a Vehicle Location at the time of Accident - Road

NB: the kinds of details which were previously collected by codes 1, 2 and 3 are now obtained by variable 2.10 "Junction Location of Vehicle"

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