The Scottish Government

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THEME 3 HOW SHOULD ROAD SAFETY BE ORGANISED TO DELIVER?

As the examples in Theme 2 make clear, a wide range of organisations is actively involved in road safety in Scotland. These include central and local government, the police, road safety officers, voluntary organisations, community safety partnerships, safety camera partnerships, motoring organisations, the fire and rescue service and health interests.

Road Safety Scotland brings together the key interests to ensure a coordinated approach to road safety education and publicity throughout the country.

The Society of Chief Officers of Transportation in Scotland ( SCOTS) provides a forum for local government transportation officials for the exchange of information on road safety issues, and co-ordinates local authority views on road safety policy.

ACPOS, the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland, works in partnership with central and local government to set strategic objectives for road policing, including the enforcement of road traffic law.

The key organisations and their areas of responsibility are:

• The Department for Transport ( DfT) is responsible for GB road safety policy, particularly on reserved matters such as driver and vehicle licensing, driver training, vehicle standards and road traffic offences and penalties. This includes national speed limits, the drink-drive limit and restrictions on new drivers. DfT also undertakes GB-wide publicity campaigns on a range of road safety issues.
• The Scottish Government is responsible for devolved aspects of road safety policy, such as road safety education and publicity, working in partnership with local authorities, the police and other key interests to improve road safety.
• Road Safety Scotland ( RSS), which sits within the Transport Directorate of the Scottish Government, brings together the key interests to ensure a coordinated approach to road safety throughout the country. The RSS Forum represents the whole road safety community, including local and national government, the police, road safety officers, health interests, motoring organisations, voluntary organisations, the fire and rescue service, Transport Scotland and the Safety Camera Programme.
• Transport Scotland, a Scottish Government agency, is responsible for safety on the trunk road and motorway network in Scotland.
• Local authorities are responsible for road safety on the local road network. This includes measures such as road construction, accident investigation and analysis, traffic calming, setting speed limits and facilities for pedestrians and cyclists.
• Police forces are responsible for enforcing road traffic law. This is primarily done on the grounds of road safety. The ACPOS road policing strategy includes measures to reduce casualties and improve road safety.
• The Scottish Safety Camera Programme aims to reduce accidents due to speeding and red light running. It is delivered through eight regional Safety Camera Partnerships.
• Road Safety Units ( RSUs) are responsible for local road safety education, training and publicity. A number of RSUs are located within police forces, while others are located in local authorities.
• The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents ( RoSPA) is one of a large number of voluntary organisations which focus on road safety. RoSPA's Scottish office works closely with the Scottish Government on activities to improve road safety, including training for road safety practitioners.
• The Fire and Rescue Service remit includes a statutory function related to attending road accidents. Alongside this, the Service contributes to prevention campaigns through public education initiatives.
• The 32 Community Safety Partnerships in Scotland, which are part of each local authority's approach to broader Community Planning have, since the late 1990s, and more so in the last three years, encouraged practitioners to use what evidence is available to best identify local community safety priorities. In the more successful areas, this means that a whole range of data in a range of analytical products is designed to best inform practitioners about local problem solving, area management and strategic decision-making in relation to a variety of issues, including road safety.

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