Performance assessment
Assessing the performance of organizations in the delivery of road safety activity is an important element in managing the implementation process and the use of public funds. Typically, in the public sector the work of agencies is regulated and assessed through a system of inspection and audit. British, Dutch and Swedish examples of different types of performance assessment are presented.
Public service targets and agreements are means by which Government demonstrates its role and accountability for road safety responsibilities. For example the British Department of Transport’s Public Service Agreement target is to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured in Great Britain in road accidents by 40%, and the number of children killed or seriously injured by 50% by 2010 compared with 1994-98, tackling, at the same time, the significantly higher incidence in disadvantaged communities. The road safety strategy is assessed by the Department every 3 years. Progress can be assessed by Parliamentary Select Committee on Transport and by the Road Safety Advisory Panel. The Department’s Highways Agency also has a specific Public Service Agreement target to reduce road casualties [29].
Organizational Performance Indicators: Best Value Performance Indicators are set by Central Government in order to ensure that local authorities can demonstrate they are improving services. Each year a Best Value Performance Plan needs to be submitted. By law, the delivery of road safety by a local authority has to be measured by a Best Value Performance Indicator which requires annual calculation of the number of road accident casualties per 100,000 population broken down by casualty and road user type. In addition, local authorities can set their own local performance indicators and many of these have been set relating to speed reduction, child casualties, accident involvement of young and old drivers and accidents in relation to distance traveled [40].
Road safety inspection bodies monitor the rate of implementation of road safety measures and examine their quality. For example, The Swedish Road Traffic Inspectorate was established on 1st January 2003 as a division of the Swedish National Roads Administration. It has 14 employees. The Road Traffic Inspectorate is independent in relation to the rest of SNRA organization [53].
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The Swedish Road Traffic Inspectorate
The tasks of the Inspectorate are as follows:
From a holistic perspective, to follow and analyse conditions that may have a material affect on the design and function of the road transport system, based on road safety objectives adopted by state agencies, local authorities and others;
Through dialogue with these parties, to act to ensure that the parties apply systematic methods to prevent traffic crashes that lead to death or serious injury
To co-operate with other parties aimed at increasing road traffic safety
To initiate research and development in the traffic safety field and follow research that is significant to the agency’s activities.
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