Agenda item

1.    The Commissioner said that deaths and serious injuries on the roads were tragic and often avoidable events that had significant and life-long impact on the individuals, their families and the local community. Preventing road danger and supporting Vision Zero was one of the priorities in his Making Kent Safer Plan.

2.    While it was encouraging that the number of road deaths had gradually decreased since 2021, the achievement of Vision Zero was still a long-term ambition.

3.    The Commissioner was pleased that the Kent and Medway Safer Roads Partnership (KMSRP), which he chaired, had senior officer and Elected Member representation from organisations including Kent Police, KCC, Medway Council, Kent Fire and Rescue Service and National Highways.

4.    The Kent Police teams specifically tasked with road safety were:

·         The Roads Policing Unit (RPU), with 42 specialist officers who worked a 24/7 shift pattern and were trained in Advanced Driving and Tactical Pursuit and Containment.

·         The Road Safety Unit, with 8 officers trained to examine commercial vehicles.

·         The Camera Safety Team, with 6 members of staff who worked a flexible shift pattern to provide mobile and static speed enforcement across the county

·         A Serious Collision Investigation Unit, with 20 officers who investigated fatal or life changing collisions.

·         The Special Constabulary RPU, with 20 volunteer officers who were trained to the same standard as regular RPU officers and who used the same vehicles to respond to calls and promote road safety.

5.    In terms of enforcement activity (including Fixed Penalty Notices, Traffic Offence Reports, summons and arrests), between October 2023 and October 2024, Kent Police dealt with:

·         over 72 ,000 people for excess speed;

·         about 1,700 people for driving while using a mobile phone;

·         about 2 ,180 people for not wearing a seatbelt; and

·         Over 2,000 people for driving whilst unfit due to alcohol or drugs.

6.    With regard to Operation Voice – which involved RPU officers targeting high-risk domestic abuse perpetrators who regularly use motor vehicles, with the objective of minimising the risk they pose to their victims and other road users - this year, a total of 47 vehicles were stopped; 5 people were arrested for impairment offences and one person for domestic abuse-related matters. 53 Traffic Offence Reports were issued for road safety-related offences, and 3 drivers were reported for summons.

7.    The Commissioner paid tribute to Community Speedwatch (CSW) - a road safety initiative coordinated by Kent Police and run by local communities with the aim of reducing deaths and injuries on Kent’s roads. Over the past year, CSW had sent 12,708 warning notices to speeding drivers. 136 drivers were visited at their homes by Police Officers for education purposes, and a further 143 drivers were reported to the DVLA for tax offences. Of note, 93% of drivers that received either a warning notice or a home visit had not been observed speeding again.

8.    The road safety charity Brake had received about £40k funding from the PCC each year to support road victims. Brake provided a free, professional support service for road victims who had suffered a bereavement and/or physical injuries. To ensure that road victims and their families were able to access appropriate support, the OPCC had collaborated with Brake and Kent Police to change the referral mechanism to an opt-out process. This had resulted in a greater number of referrals, from 25 in the year preceding the introduction of the opt-out process, to 120 in 2023/24. 

9.    In reply to a question about the issue of those parking their motor vehicles on pavements and forcing pedestrians onto the road, the Commissioner said there were innovative solutions, such as the creation of bespoke pavement bays in London that enabled a vehicle to park with two wheels on the pavement whilst allowing enough space for pedestrians. Appreciating the problem it caused, the Commissioner advised to flag it to the local Beat Officers.

RESOLVED: To note the report.