1 About the partnership
The Sussex Safer Roads Partnership (SSRP) brings together:
- East Sussex County Council
- West Sussex County Council
- Brighton and Hove City Council
- East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service
- West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service
- National Highways
These organisations work jointly to improve road safety across Sussex for everyone.
Our purpose
We work together to make roads in Sussex safer by:
- reducing the number of people who are killed or seriously hurt on our roads
- helping all road users stay safe and understand road safety, especially people who are most at risk
- encouraging people to make safe and responsible choices when they travel
How we work
Our work supports local and national road safety plans.
The Sussex Safer Roads Partnership (SSRP) brings together the skills, knowledge and resources of all partner organisations. We work closely together and use evidence and data to plan what we do.
Each year, we deliver a programme of work based on the Safe System approach. This approach aims to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on Sussex roads.
The Safe System approach is used around the world. It focuses on preventing crashes and reducing the impact of crashes when they do happen.
A key idea behind this approach is that people make mistakes. While mistakes cannot always be prevented, no one should be killed or seriously injured because of them.
The Safe System approach, as outlined by Bake, is based on 2 important facts:
- people make mistakes when using the roads
- people can be seriously injured or killed in a crash
We follow these principles in our work. We help make roads safer, but the choices people make also play an important part in preventing serious harm.
That is why a key part of our work focuses on education and behaviour change. By helping people make safer choices, we can reduce risks and prevent deaths and serious injuries on our roads.
What we do
We deliver a wide range of road safety activities to help make roads safer for everyone who lives, works or travels in Sussex.
Find out more about what we do.
2 What the partnership delivers
We work together each year to make roads safer across Sussex. We follow the Safe System approach.
The 5 main parts of the Safe System approach are:
- Safe speeds - setting speed limits that help keep people safe
- Safe roads - designing and improving roads so they are safer for everyone
- Safe vehicles - encouraging people to use safer vehicles and safety technology
- Safe road users - helping people make safer choices through education and enforcement
- Post-collision response - investigating crashes and supporting people affected by them
Safe road users
Helping people make safer choices
Most road collisions happen because of people's behaviour. That is why we run campaigns to help road users make safer choices.
We support national road safety campaigns and run our own local campaigns to tackle risks on Sussex roads.
We use collision and casualty data to understand where the biggest risks are. This helps us focus on the people and behaviours that need the most attention. We create messages and activities that meet the needs of different groups.
People at higher risk include:
- children under 16
- older road users aged 70 and over
- young drivers and riders aged 16 to 24
- pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders
- motorcyclists
- people who drive for work
Our main message is simple: road safety is everyone's responsibility. We all have a duty to keep ourselves and others safe.
Mobile phone use while driving
Using a mobile phone while driving can be dangerous and distracting.
We ran a Sussex-wide campaign encouraging drivers to put their phones away and focus on the road. This helps make roads safer for everyone.
Other road safety campaigns
We also run campaigns about:
- motorcyclist (biker) safety
- staying safe around lorries and other large vehicles
- motorway safety, including lane closures and safe driving
Keeping people informed
We share road safety advice, campaign news and safety messages on social media throughout the year.
These campaigns help people stay informed, make safer choices and reduce the risk of collisions.
Theatre in Education
We offer our Theatre in Education programme to schools across Sussex.
The programme focuses on year 7 and year 11 students because their travel habits often change at these ages.
Year 7
Many year 7 pupils have just started secondary school and may be travelling on their own for the first time.
The programme helps them:
- understand their responsibilities as pedestrians
- learn how to cross roads safely
Year 11
Many year 11 students are learning to drive or travelling as passengers with friends.
The programme helps them:
- understand the role passengers play in road safety
- avoid distracting drivers
- encourage safe driving
- challenge risky behaviour
Each year, the programme reaches more than 7,000 year 7 pupils and more than 5,000 year 11 pupils. It reaches almost half of all year 7 and year 11 students across Sussex.
Recent feedback showed that:
- 97% of year 7 students said they better understood how mobile phones can distract pedestrians
- 86% of year 11 students said they felt more confident speaking up if a driver was behaving dangerously
Cycle safety
We deliver Bikeability, a national cycle training programme in schools.
Bikeability teaches children how to ride safely and confidently. Through practical training, they learn how to cycle safely on real roads.
Around 11,000 pupils complete Bikeability training across Sussex each year.
School crossing patrols
School crossing patrols help children cross roads safely near schools.
They provide a trusted and visible presence for families and encourage drivers to take extra care around schools.
We work closely with schools to recruit, train and support school crossing patrols.
Safe streets
Road safety improvements
Road safety engineering helps reduce deaths and serious injuries on our roads.
Every year, we review the road network to identify places where safety improvements could make the biggest difference.
We use collision data and local concerns to decide where improvements are most needed.
In West Sussex, we identify around 15 to 20 locations each year for road safety improvements. These projects form part of a 2 year programme of design and construction.
In East Sussex, we assess the road network each year and deliver around 24 casualty reduction schemes. Recent projects have reduced the number of people killed or seriously injured at treated sites by around 50%.
This data-led approach helps us invest in the places where improvements can have the greatest impact.
Connected vehicle data
We are exploring how vehicle technology and connected vehicle data can help us understand risks and prevent future collisions.
Community road improvement schemes
Local communities can ask for road improvements to help make journeys safer and easier.
Requests may include concerns about:
- speeding
- crossing roads safely
- safety around schools
- other local road safety issues
School travel safety
We help improve safety around schools by introducing School Streets.
School Streets limit vehicle access outside schools during drop-off and pick-up times.
School Streets aim to:
- improve road safety for children and families
- reduce traffic and air pollution outside schools
- encourage walking, cycling and scooting
- create a calmer environment at the start and end of the school day
We also encourage schools to use travel plans that promote safe and sustainable ways to travel.
Safe vehicles
Public events and community engagement
We speak with residents and visitors at major events across Sussex, including the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
At these events, we share road safety messages such as TRIP.
Many motorway breakdowns could be avoided with simple vehicle checks before a journey.
TRIP reminds drivers to:
- Top up fuel and fluids
- Rest before long journeys
- Inspect tyres and other vehicle safety checks
- Prepare for the journey ahead
A few simple checks can help prevent breakdowns and collisions.
Post-collision response
When a road collision happens, SSRP partners work with the emergency services to respond quickly and safely.
We support police investigations into collisions that result in death or serious injury. We also act on road safety recommendations from these investigations as soon as possible to help prevent similar incidents in the future.
3 Contact details
Get in touch with the Sussex Safer Roads Partnership about the schemes, or find out more information on each partner’s website.
East Sussex County Council
- Website: Road safety
- Contact the Road Safety Team: Enquiry form
West Sussex County Council
- Website: Road safety
- Email: roadsafety@westsussex.gov.uk
Brighton and Hove City Council
East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service
- Website: Road Safety
- Email: enquiries@esfrs.org
- Phone: 0303 999 1000
West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service
- Website
- Email: wsfrs@westsussex.gov.uk
- Phone: 01243 786211
National Highways
- Website: Road safety
- Email: info@nationalhighways.co.uk
- Phone: 0300 123 5000
If you need to report a problem on the roads, such as potholes, grass cutting or faded road markings, contact either East Sussex Highways, West Sussex Highways or Brighton & Hove City Council depending on where you live.
All parking issues and questions should be directed to your local council’s parking team: