Inspired by the work undertaken by Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Road Safety Partnership, the Road Safety Foundation (RSF) has been supporting the establishment of Safe System fatal review panels. These Safe System panels are there to enhance existing learning about fatal collisions, through identifying the systemic actions that might have otherwise prevented the death from occurring.

The first step in this project was to undertake a series of interviews with people involved in the existing Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fatal Review Panel, Child Death Overview Panels and Fire and Rescue fatal reviews. From this, RSF was able to formulate an outline Terms of Reference for the panels, and started to develop a two-day training course. The first day of the training covers a broad introduction to the Safe System, while day two provides an opportunity to experience the fatal review process.

The training has been delivered to nearly 30 people and three new Safe System Fatal Review Panels are planned to start in 2025 in Kent, Warwickshire and the South West. Many other road safety partnerships are considering establishing local panels.

In the second part of the presentation, Simon Burgin will introduce the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fatal Review process and will illustrate their activities through two case studies that show using the Fatal Review process revealed how human behaviour can directly affect the outcome in any given scenario, and by taking early action and using engineering solutions behaviour can be changed following the review process

In the final part of the presentation, Marcus Alford-Longley will explain how Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership is currently piloting a Safe System Fatal Review Panel which aims to understand fatal road traffic collisions with a Safe System perspective and identify the systemic actions that can be taken forward both at the local and national level to proactively reduce the risk of fatal and serious injury in the future. Officers have received key safe system training and have started the development of the terms of reference and governance structure. The first review panel was in June and the group has planned quarterly meetings throughout 2025. The presentation will speak about the process and early findings from the project.

Dr Suzy Charman, Executive Director, Road Safety Foundation

Simon Burgin, Road Safety Manager, Cambridgeshire County Council

Simon Burgin served with Cambridgeshire Constabulary until reaching his retirement in 2022. He was a Police Motorcyclist spearheading Cambridgeshire's Bikesafe programme and all things motorcycling for 20 years. The last 14 years of his police career was also spent as a Forensic Collision Investigator, so he is all too aware of the tragedies surrounding collisions.

Despite the negative side of driver and rider behaviours and the collisions that result, as a self-confessed petrol head his love of driving and riding on the open roads remains. It was this passion that motivated him to join Cambridgeshire County Council and to continue his endeavour to make every journey as safe as it can be by following the safe system and using data, and an understanding of driver and rider behaviour, to bring about network changes to reduce harm when mistakes are made.

The fatal review process is an integral part of our partnership working and understanding the granular detail of each and every fatality as early as possible after each event helps us shape our interventions for the future, through both Road Safety Education and Network Infrastructure

Marcus Alford-Longley, Principal Road Safety Engineer & Road Safety Auditor, Warwickshire County Council

With over 13 years of industry experience, Marcus Alford-Longley oversees the fatal and road safety audits process for Warwickshire County Council.

Marcus designs and commissions casualty reduction schemes and leads on the iRAP engineering for the Safer Roads Fund projects. He also collaborates with the planning department, providing road safety guidance from master plans to implementation.

Representing the engineering team on all five of the Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership's safe system working groups, Marcus advocates for change across the organisation and its partners.