UK fleets will now be able to compare their local council's road safety performance with other parts of the country following the release of a new Road Safety Comparison website. The site, launched by road safety minister, Stephen Hammond, details collision and casualty figures against population, traffic levels, road length and authority spending to show how local authorities have fared in the past seven years. Not only will the website be able to display casualty figures in context with comparable local authorities, fleet operators will also be able to view areas where cyclists and children have been involved in collisions on particular roads. The initiative is part of a wider Government plan to improve transparency and accountability by giving users easy-to-access information on how their services are being delivered. "This new comparison website will give local residents a more accurate picture of their council's performance in reducing road casualties and will allow councils to make more meaningful assessments of the work they are doing to improve road safety," said Hammond. "If a council is performing particularly well then I want to see them sharing best practice with others so that they can improve and people across the country can benefit." In addition, the Department for Transport (DfT) has launched a new research portal _ The Road Safety Observatory _ providing road safety professionals access to research on a plethora of topics. Hammond added: "The Road Safety Observatory will be a valuable resource for all those with an interest in road safety by providing a one-stop-shop for road safety research."
