Local authorities' duties in respect of road accident investigation and prevention were first set out in the Road Traffic Act 1974, Section 8 and later consolidated in the Road Traffic Act 1988, Section 39.
The Act requires:
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accident studies to be carried out
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measures to be taken in response to the results of such studies
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accident information to be disseminated and
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new roads to be built to standards that will reduce, as far as is reasonably practicable, the chances of an accident occurring.
Since May 2009, these duties are addressed by the Network team within the Roads & Development Unit of the Roads and Design Section of Falkirk Council's Development Services department.
Activities
These include:
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maintenance of accident databases
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identification of accident sites, routes, areas and mass actions
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study of accident sites, routes, areas and mass actions
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road safety audit
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liaison with such as
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Central Scotland Police
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NHS Forth Valley
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Roads, Education and Planning departments
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UK Department for Transport
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Scottish Government and its agencies, e.g.
Transport Scotland / Road Safety Scotland
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Convention of Scottish Local Authorities
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Society of Chief Officers of Transportation in Scotland (SCOTS)
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Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA)
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Scottish Accident Prevention Council (SAPC)
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Network Rail
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interested consultants, solicitors, researchers, manufacturers, etc.
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provision of ad hoc data, advice and reports on road safety matters
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preparation of road safety plans
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maintenance of the relevant library
Related groups
The Council is represented at:
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Road Safety Scotland Forum
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Scottish Liaison Group on Accident Statistics
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UK Standing Committee on Road Accident Statistics (Falkirk Council currently provides the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities' representative).
Objective
The objective is to fulfil Falkirk Council's statutory obligations, particularly in respect of road safety engineering, with a view to maximising its contribution towards national road accident casualty reduction targets.