The deeply entrenched car culture opposes most of what road safety officers are trying to achieve, and it is naive to suppose that they can succeed in the short or medium term, or operate in isolation, without adequate support and resources. Most people see car ownership as an absolute right, and most youngsters aspire to drive and are welcomed as drivers after an inappropriate or inadequate driving test. Some sections of the media have little regard for vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists. Road safety officers face many challenges which cannot be met without appropriate levels of research and support. For example, they need to maintain an open-minded approach to new initiatives, and listen as well as tell. They need to continue partnership with the police and the health authority. They should produce effective plans, and manage potential conflict as part of an integrated strategy. There should be effective targeting of resources, better measurement of safety programmes' value for money, and more flexible funding of programmes. There should be more emphasis on reducing traffic to reduce conflict, and people should be made more aware of alternative modes and encouraged to use them. Drivers need to become more considerate to users, and there should be closer co-ordination between physical speed reduction measures and campaigns to improve attitudes to speeding.
Abstract