The 2011 National Road Safety Conference was held at The Queen Hotel, Chester 15-16 November and was sponsored by Colas, Hermes and Siemens.

For copies of individual presentations, or any other information about the conference, please contact Simon Rawlings by email.

During the evening, delegates enjoyed a superb conference dinner followed by wonderful entertainment by Jamshak, a six-pice band that includes Road Safety GB chair Alan Kennedy.

Day 2 – 16 November
The morning commenced with the presentation of a Prince Michael International Road Safety Award to the Road Safety Knowledge Centre. The award was presented by Adrian Walsh, director of RoadSafe, to Alan Kennedy, Graham Stanton from Colas who sponsor the Knowledge Centre, and Nick Rawlings (project manager).

Fiona and Beth Fylan (Brainbox Research) then delivered an hour long session on ‘Evaluation – what next’. The session, in which the audience fully participated, offered delegates a practical guide to the process of evaluating an intervention and using the results to enhance future delivery.

The morning closed with a lively ‘Question Time’ session, brilliantly chaired by Rob Gifford of PACTS, during which an esteemed panel debated the topic of speed, covering issues including 20mph limits, the proposed new 80mph limit on motorways, and the future of safety cameras.

The final session comprised a series of brief presentations by Duncan Vernon (Road Safety Observatory), Professor Steve Taylor (drivers’ eyesight), Dr Carol Hawley (older drivers), Duncan Price (drug driving) and Ian Edwards (coaching). The conference closed with a thought-provoking presentation by Garry Shoreman focusing on neuro-linguistic programming, during which he stressed the importance of changing beliefs in order to achieve long-term behavioural change.

All of the conference presentations will be uploaded to the conference website on Thursday 17 November.

The 2012 National Conference and Exhibition will be hosted by Road Safety GB London Region. The event will be held at the International Britannia Hotel, Marsh Wall (Docklands), 14-15 November 2012.

Footnote: the organisers would like to apologise to Bristol Oilskins, who were not allowed to bring their motorcycle exhibit into the venue. However, as the photo shows, it is displayed prominently in the hotel garden, and the reflective material on their new high performance Bootex Motor Cycle Jacket is particularly effective!