A new central hub for road safety analytical support

We are excited to announce two new developments as a part of the analysts’ support provided for Road Safety GB, with the backing of the Department for Transport. The Road Safety Analysts Network website has always been the home for information about the annual Joining the Dots Conference and now offers opportunities for all-year-round support and guidance for those involved in analysing all sorts of information relating to road risk and danger.

The first new offering is a ‘Data Wiki’ which acts as a first-stop for anyone wanting to understand the types of data and resources that are available, and examples of modern research techniques. It has separate FAQs for different types of user including professionals, members of the public, journalists, and politicians. There is then a catalogue of articles focussing on specific areas such as ‘contributory factors’, ‘smart motorways’, ‘comparing road safety performance’, and many more. The articles are full of links to datasets, interactive maps, and existing tools which will guide users towards quick answers on potentially complex topics. There is also the opportunity for individual authorities, partnerships, and others to post their own data tools and visualisations in a showcase. Not only will this build into a fantastic central resource for casual observers, but it will also provide great examples of local best practice.

The second offering is a re-launch of the existing collaboration channel, previously hosted in Slack, which will now use the more familiar Microsoft Teams software. Most of us have become increasingly familiar with this technology over the last three years so it made sense to move over to this platform. The nearly-200 previously registered users of the channel will be sent invitation links but anyone who is engaged in the profession can apply to access the private platform via the roadsafety.network website. Over the coming weeks and months there will be regular updates featuring new research reports, statistical releases, commentary, as well as ad-hoc support requests from people all over the country.

Finally we wanted to remind you that submissions are open for the 2023 Joining the Dots conference with abstracts already being submitted. Please head over to the submission page to find out how you can showcase your work at next years’ event.