XN000022-1981-02-20 — Page 2

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1981

TRAFFIC WATCHDOG FORMED

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A NEW ROAD SAFETY DIVISION HAS BEEN FORMED WITHIN THE HIGHWAYS OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT TO STUDY THE INTERACTING FACTORS LEADING TO TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS.

THE DIVISION WILL ALSO BE EMPOWERED TO INVESTIGATE, RECOMMEND AND, WHERE APPLICABLE, DESIGN AND IMPLEMENT REMEDIAL MEASURES.

ANNOUNCING THIS TODAY, MR HAROLD BEATON, PRINCIPAL GOVERNMENT HIGHWAY ENGINEER, SAID THE NEW DIVISION WOULD BE HEADED BY MR D.G. WILLDAY, WHO WOULD TAKE UP HIS POST ON MONDAY,

MR WILLDAY, WHO ARRIVED FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM TODAY (FRIDAY), WAS UNTIL RECENTLY WITH THE NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY COUNCIL, DEALING WITH TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT, ROAD SAFETY AND ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION.

MR BEATON SAID, THE NEW DIVISION WILL COMPRISE TWO SECTIONS - THE ANALYSIS AND STRATEGY SECTION AND THE INVESTIGATION AND REMEDIES SECTION EACH HEADED BY A SENIOR ENGINEER.

+ THE ANALYSIS AND STRATEGY SECTION WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANALYSIS OF THE COMPUTER-BASED TRAFFIC ACCIDENT STATISTICS AND THE FORMULATION OF GENERAL STRATEGY IN IMPROVING ROAD SAFETY.

+THE OTHER SECTION WILL BE CONCERNED ESSENTIALLY WITH THE MORE IMMEDIATE LOCAL ACCIDENT PROBLEMS AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TRAFFIC ENGINEERING REMEDIAL MEASURES.+

MR BEATON ADDED THAT THE MAIN PREOCCUPATION OF THE ANALYSIS AND STRATEGY SECTION WOULD BE THE SETTING UP OF AN ACCIDENT STATISTICS SYSTEM, REVIEWING THE PRESENT DATA COLLECTION ARRANGEMENTS AND DEVELOPING COMPUTER PROGRAMMES FOR DATA ANALYSIS.

+UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE DIVISION HEAD, THE INVESTIGATION AND REMEDIES SECTION WILL BE DEVELOPING TRAFFIC ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEM OF ACCIDENT BLACK SPOTS.

+THE DIVISION WILL BE DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE TO THE PRINCIPAL GOVERNMENT HIGHWAY ENGINEER AND ITS WORK WILL BE GUIDED AND MONITORED BY AN INTER-DEPARTMENTAL STEERING COMMITTEE, HE SAID.

MR BEATON ALSO POINTED OUT THAT THE APPLICATION OF TRAFFIC ENGINEERING PRINCIPLES TO THE PROBLEM OF ROAD ACCIDENTS HAD BEEN AN ON-GOING TASK OF THE HIGHWAYS OFFICE SINCE THE 1960'S, BUT THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ROAD SAFETY DIVISION WOULD MEAN AN UPGRADING AND CONCENTRATION OF THIS EFFORT TO COMBAT AN INCREASING PROBLEM.

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