Essex County Fire and Rescue Service is committed to promoting road safety and seeking to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on the roads of Essex as a result of road traffic collisions (RTCs).

In 2007 1,065 people were killed or seriously injured on the roads in Essex. By 2017, this has fallen by 19% to 855. Whilst this is a tremendous success, and a tribute to the effectiveness of road safety activities in Essex, the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads remains unacceptably high. 

In addition to the traumatic emotional consequences of road traffic collisions and casualties, there are the wider social implications. The Department for Transport has calculated the economic value of preventing RTCs at £1.9m for each and every KSI incident.

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service is first and foremost an emergency response service and is regularly called upon to deal with the aftermath of RTCs with specialist equipment and highly trained firefighters.However, we want to play our part in preventing those RTCs from occurring in the first place through quality education and engagement activities. In the majority of cases, death and injury can be prevented through better education, awareness and responsibility amongst all road users.

The reduction of deaths and serious injuries on our roads is therefore a high priority, but it is not achievable by Essex County Fire and Rescue Service working alone. We work collaboratively with other organisations responsible for RTC reduction activities in the County.

We are a key and active partner within the Safer Essex Roads Partnership – a high level strategic partnership which oversees and co-ordinates collaborative RTC reduction activities across the administrative County of Essex and comprises the following:

• Essex County Council
• Essex Police
• Essex County Fire and Rescue Service
• Southend Borough Council
• Thurrock Council
• Highways England
• East of England Ambulance Service Trust
• Essex & Herts Air Ambulance Trust
• The Safer Roads Foundation

Such partnership working brings a co-ordinated and collaborative approach to reducing RTC related fatalities and serious injuries; enables us to avoid the duplication of effort and exploit the strengths of individual partners; identify and implement best practice; and improving the effectiveness of education and intervention whilst promoting responsible road behaviour.

ECFRS recognises that it has a key role to play in preventing road traffic collisions and the resultant damage to human life, much as it is working to reduce fire related deaths and injuries through prevention and protection work.

Our activities in RTC reduction will be through specific interventions, campaigns, schemes and initiatives which are designed to change people’s driving behaviour so as to reduce death and injury caused by road traffic related incidents.

Responding to RTCs will always be a major part of what we do as an emergency service, but with effective educational activity and promotional campaigns, particularly working with partner agencies, we aim to achieve ongoing sustainable reductions in fatalities and serious injuries.