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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 Government ( SG) 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 SG 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 SG 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, SG, 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. The paper and questionnaires were sent 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 SG 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
The variables and code-lists which were used from 1999 to 2004 inclusive were shown in Annex B of " Road Accidents Scotland 2004". A summary of the changes which took effect from January 2005 appeared in Section 6 of Annex C of " Road Accidents Scotland 2005".
It is expected that the next Review of road accident statistics will take place between Spring 2008 and Spring 2009, that details of the resulting changes will be published in Autumn 2009 and the changes will be implemented with effect from the start of 2011.
Those wishing to be informed about the 2008 Review of road accident statistics should register as a user of Scottish Government Transport Statistics, as described towards the foot of the page on Scottish Government Transport Statistics Web Pages (towards the end of this publication).
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, the then Scottish Executive ( 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 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 Government Transport Statistics Web Pages" in this publication.
It is expected that the forthcoming 2008 Review of road accident statistics will include a review of Scottish Government road accident statistics publications and the other outputs that are made available via the Scottish Government's Web site.
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