West Sussex County Council’s Road Safety Strategy sets out our long-term vision to stop people being killed or seriously injured on our roads. To help make this happen, we focus on:
- encouraging safer behaviour from all road users
- making roads safer through design changes and improvements
- supporting walking, cycling and other sustainable ways to travel
We have set a clear goal to help make this happen. By 2036, we want to reduce the number of people who are killed or seriously hurt on our roads by 30% compared with the years 2015 to 2019. This means lowering the number from about 497 people each year to fewer than 338.
We study detailed information about road crashes to understand where people are most at risk, why these risks happen and where we can make the biggest improvements.
Each year, we review road injury data in West Sussex to see where injuries happen and where risks are higher.
We look closely at places where accidents happen often in the same area over time, especially where people suffer serious injuries.
We use this information to find the places where changes could help prevent serious injuries or deaths.
Our road safety engineers then look at these places to understand possible causes, such as:
- how the road is laid out
- how easy it is to see clearly
- how fast vehicles are travelling
- how the road is used
We also use extra information, such as data from connected vehicles and reports of near misses, to spot risks early before serious accidents happen.
We choose locations for safety improvements based on where changes are most likely to reduce serious harm, especially for more vulnerable road users.
Road safety improvements take time because we must design, check and build them carefully.
This process can take up to 3 years, from the first investigation to completing the work. We can sometimes deliver smaller improvements more quickly if funding and resources are available.
Each year, we usually complete around 5 to 10 road safety improvement projects across West Sussex.
Route safety schemes
As well as looking at single problem spots, we also look at whole roads where serious or fatal crashes happen often or are getting worse over time.
Each year, we aim to carry out one full route safety study using 3 main steps:
1. Reviewing past collisions
We study several years of crash data to understand:
- where crashes happen along the road
- what type they are
- how serious they are
- what is causing them
This helps us find parts of the road that are less safe than others, see patterns in crashes and decide what changes could help stop them happening again.
2. Assessing future risk
We look at both where crashes have happened and where they might happen in the future.
We check things like:
- the shape and layout of the road
- what is at the roadside
- how safe it is for walkers and cyclists
- how speed is affected by road design and behaviour
This helps us identify risky areas, even where few crashes have happened. We can then plan changes such as:
- clearer signs
- better road markings
- safer roadsides
- improved paths for walking or cycling
- changes to reduce how serious a crash could be
3. Reviewing speed limits
We review speed limits against our speed limit policy to make sure they match:
- how the road is used
- who uses it
- how risky it is
Where needed, we look at:
- changing speed limits
- improving road design
- adding signs or markings to help drivers travel at safer speeds
By using all this information together, we can:
- choose the right safety improvements for each road
- focus on where they will make the biggest difference
- help prevent serious injuries and deaths
Route safety schemes often cover long stretches of road and look at many different issues, such as road design, speed and the needs of local communities.
Because of this, they take time to plan, design and agree before work starts. This makes sure the changes are safe, well thought out and suitable for the road.
This way of working helps us make joined-up improvements, match changes to the type of road and focus on reducing the most serious harm.