Improving road safety insights with integrated data

Lancashire County Council’s Road Safety Engineering team wanted to analyse road injury collision data, to deliver road safety schemes through identified safety measures aimed at casualty reduction, for the protection and benefit of its community.

The team’s previous approach relied on using two disparate systems of datasets: one that was accessible to all staff, but offered limited information due to GDPR regulations; and another system considered outdated, for detailed causation factors and police descriptions.

This process was complex, involved extensive cross-referencing – making it more time-consuming – and often resulted in unprofessional outputs.

The Road Safety Engineering team worked with Ordnance Survey (OS) for support and guidance in data interoperability. Location data makes a strong and versatile data platform on which to build and combine new insight; here, the team requested a dashboard that combined the OS NGD Transport Theme with its own third-party data.

The solution consolidated collision data into a single system, and introduced a heat-mapping tool, based on set criteria. This made the dashboard an informative, visuals-based format, making the data more accessible and simpler to analyse. The system was also tailored to user needs, and extended beyond the original scope.

The image above is an example of the 'collisions dashboard,' showing heatmaps of incident sites, creating areas of interest for the team to prioritise accordingly. (Screenshot courtesy of Lancashire County Council’s Road Safety Engineering team.)

The new system dramatically improved efficiency by consolidating multiple processes into one streamlined platform. Tasks that previously required two separate systems, extensive cross-referencing, and manual document edits, could be completed quickly and accurately, in a single environment.

This has reduced time spent on data preparation, improved the quality and professionalism of outputs, and enabled the team to focus on the key aspect, the incident response, rather than administrative work.

In turn, the new dashboard and data system has enabled the Road Safety Engineering team to identify high-risk junctions, areas and routes, develop local safety schemes, and share accurate collision data with other relevant internal teams and contractors. Taking this proactive approach means a better use of finite funding, and from that, targeted interventions with a clear focus on road safety, improving wellbeing for its citizens and community.