The number of ‘fail to give way’ crashes at rural crossroads are rising - even where junctions are clearly signed - because in-vehicle navigation can override driver attention and create automation bias. Collision evidence, case studies and human factors research show this is acute for long distance drivers on unfamiliar routes, who are over-represented in high severity impacts at these sites. 

Traditional low cost engineering (enhanced signage, high friction surfacing, islands) often under delivers at ‘see through’ junctions, while major realignments—though effective—cost millions and cannot be scaled across thousands of locations.

This presentation proposes a national, technology led intervention: integrating mandatory or enhanced Stop/Give Way alerts within sat nav platforms. The road safety team at Devon CC will work with Ordnance Survey to encode junction priority more explicitly in authoritative datasets and ensure this information is reliably passed through to in vehicle navigation systems—systematically reducing risk at rural crossroads. 

This proposal is rooted in the Safe System approach and directly supports the Strategy’s four themes—particularly “taking advantage of technology, innovation and data” and “ensuring infrastructure is safe.” It complements local engineering by adding a consistent, in-vehicle safety layer nationwide.

Impact will be assessed via before and after collision analysis on treated cohorts, behavioural studies on responses to in-vehicle prompts, and cost–benefit modelling that compares Ordnance Survey data enablement with traditional works. The project team expects a strong return on investment, with collision cost savings likely to exceed implementation costs.

Nigel Flower, Safer Travel Strategic Officer, Devon County Council

In his role with Devon County Council, Nigel Flower works on the development and delivery of evidence-led interventions to reduce road casualties and improve safety for all road users.

Nigel has extensive experience in road safety and collision investigation, with particular expertise in collision data analysis, road safety audit, and wet skid investigation. His work supports a range of behaviour change and educational initiatives, including Learn2Live, Driving Safer For Longer and community focused road safety projects.

He regularly collaborates with partners across local authorities, emergency services and the voluntary sector, translating complex data into practical, targeted interventions that address real world risk on the road network.

James Armstrong, Senior Geospatial Consultant, Ordnance Survey

James Armstrong is a Senior Geospatial Consultant at Ordnance Survey, specialising in supporting public sector organisations in using location data to tackle real-world challenges.

With extensive experience across GIS, spatial analysis, and data consultancy, James works closely with Emergency Service, Transport, and NHS customers to demonstrate how geography can enhance their existing data, reveal new insights and support better decision-making.

James has been a key component of delivering solutions and workshops for the ambulance services across England & Wales, including support for routing and location challenges faced during day-to-day operations.