This report is on Phase 1 of the project set up by the Transportation Safety Group (TSG) of the Department for Transport (DfT) in 2008. The TSG’s aim was to share information and best practice in safety across all transport modes. This report provides a general overview of the project. Between 1993 and 2003, the number of accidental deaths was higher for transport than for any other activity and the majority of fatalities concerned road transport. There are many factors which affect the selection of a mode of transport for a journey. These include: habit, cost, convenience, access, reliability, perceived risk of accident and perceived personal security. This report explains that different modes of transport have different organisations responsible for accident reporting and investigation. Details relating to the use of risk metrics in the acquisition and processing of data relating to accidents in the different modes are provided. The cost benefit analysis of accident prevention and the severity of injury in accidents in various transport modes are also discussed. The ways in which each different transport mode can evaluate the potential benefits of safety improvements in terms of accident reduction are explained. The report concludes by attempting to analyse how users of various transport modes perceive potential risks. The general view is that although people are made aware of safety issues and accidents via the media, they are unlikely to utilise any real consideration of probabilistic risk when making mode choices. It is far more likely that they prioritise things like convenience, cost, and reliability when selecting a mode of transport for a journey. (Author/publisher)
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