Question Time – Road Safety GB

Based on the TV show of the same name, this session will see a panel of five road safety experts/stakeholders field questions from the audience and debate a variety of key road safety-related topics.

Confirmed panellists:

Dan Quin, Road Rescue and Road Safety Lead, National Fire Chief Council

Dan Quin, Chief Fire Officer of Surrey Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS), is also the National Fire Chief Council’s Road Rescue and Road Safety Lead as well as the Vice Chair of the United Kingdom Rescue Organisation.

Dan has over 20 years’ experience within the industry since joining SFRS in 1999 at Leatherhead Fire Station.

Ruth Purdie OBE, Chief Executive Officer, UKROEd & Chief Executive, The Road Safety Trust

Ruth is responsible for overseeing UKROED’s strategic delivery.

Prior to her appointment in 2018, Ruth was General Secretary of TISPOL, the European Roads Policing Network. She is skilled in crisis management, coaching, assessment, government, emergency management and law enforcement. In her TISPOL role she worked with all European governments, senior police officers and road safety experts to deliver a co-ordinated approach to road safety across Europe.

Ruth’s career as a police officer spanned 33 years and took her to the rank of Assistant Chief Constable. Her experience in policing contributed to her skill in managing critical incidents and major investigations. An experienced interviewer and examination assessor at executive level, she has a proven track record of working in the staffing and recruiting industry.

Working for the College of Policing, Ruth was the lead facilitator in developing the Strategic Command Course – Operational Delivery Module and assessment process between 2015-2019. She holds a first class honours degree in management from the University of Manchester. Ruth was awarded the OBE in New Year Honours list 2021, for services to Policing and Road Safety.

In September 2023, Ruth was appointed as the Chief Executive of The Road Safety Trust.

Bill Smith, Director of Communications, Road Safety GB

Bill Smith has had a career in road safety engineering and education spanning more than 40 years, in both local government and the private sector.

Much of this time was spent working in Scotland with Strathclyde Roads and Glasgow City Council. Bill also sat on and chaired various Road Safety Scotland and National RoSPA road safety committees during this time.

Bill has worked nationally and internationally as business development director for an award-winning road safety education and communications organisation.

In 2019 Bill received the Lynda Chalker Award, which is presented annually by Road Safety GB to reward an individual or organisation that has contributed significantly to road safety in the UK.

Two years later he was presented with the Lifetime Achievement accolade at the 2021 Highways Awards.

As director of communications, Bill is Road Safety GB’s media spokesperson.

Nick Cowling, Service Manager for Road Safety, Transport Data and Traffic Control, Somerset Council

Nick has over thirty years of experience working in the field of road safety, having started out life as a road safety engineer in the North–East. Nick has a Masters in Transport Engineering and Operations but is a Geographer rather than an engineer.

Nick has gained considerable experience with the delivery of all aspects of road safety and local improvement schemes within Local Government and the private sector. He leads the multi-disciplinary road safety team in Somerset which aims to reduce casualties through partnership working.

He is a key player in encouraging the sharing of best practice around the South-west, with a current focus on how we might develop Safe Systems implementation in rural environments.

Heidi Duffy MBE, Facilitator, National Young Rider Forum

Heidi Duffy MBE has enjoyed a long and varied career in road safety, starting from her service as a police officer, then road safety assistant with both Nottinghamshire and Nottingham City local road safety teams, followed by 16 years as road casualty reduction manager for Nottinghamshire Police, until retiring in 2017.

However, retirement was found to be lack lustred for Heidi who now enjoys three posts: facilitator for the Shiny Side Up Partnership and the National Young Rider Forum with Via East Midlands, and traffic management officer for Nottinghamshire Police.