This paper discusses the content of a national road safety policy, the methods for devising such a policy and the tools for its implementation. A procedure for the construction of a program of road safety measures is put forward, based on analysis of national road safety statistics, accident causation studies, assessment of the likely effectiveness of alternative measures and resource constraints. The strategy for implementing this program must recognise the decentralised nature of the road safety system, under which decision making is largely devolved. It is therefore necessary to win the commitment of a wide range of independent decision makers to the central strategy. This has been achieved in the United Kingdom and elsewhere by establishing an achievable but challenging casualty reduction target. (A)
Abstract