Darryl Souza

Dear Mr Shah Regulation 28 letter to prevent future deaths (Darryl Alfred Wayne Rego SOUZA - deceased) Clipston Crossroads Northamptonshire Thank you for your letter, dated 9th April 2018, regarding road safety concerns at Clipston crossroads and with specific reference to the collision on the 7th October 2018, where a male motorcycle rider, Mr Souza, tragically suffered fatal injuries. The information in your report is most helpful in terms of understanding the events that sadly led to this collision and how we, as a local highway authority, can address any particular safety concerns. In terms of context, the Clipston crossroads arrangement is a typical rural configuration found regularly across the UK road network where bends, undulations and vegetation often limit or vary the degree of visibility on the approaches. Advance warning signs and road markings are the most commonly used measures to alert motorists in all directions of travel. Furthermore, the minor junctions are generally controlled by ‘Give Way’ signs and road markings which place an onus on motorists to approach with caution reinforced by an additional requirement in law that precedence is given to vehicles travelling on the main carriageway. Department for Transport statistics from police collision records have established that the most common causation factors at rural junctions and crossroads involve motorists failing to look or judge the path, or speed, of oncoming vehicles. Coroner for the County of Northampton Constabulary Block Angel Square Angel Street Northampton NN1 1ED For the attention of Mr H Shah Assistant Coroner

Soon after the incident our engineering experts attended this particular location and carried out a study of the minor road approach from Sibbertoft (from where Mr Souza emerged just prior to the collision). The current ‘Give Way’ road markings and signage are of regulatory standard. However, a scheme involving the implementation of ‘yellow backed’ signs and refreshed lines is now planned in order to provide an enhanced reminder for inattentive motorists to emphasise the presence of the crossroads and to approach with caution. In order to supplement the signage we will also be introducing a sequence of ‘rumble strips’ in advance of the junction mouth. Due to the close proximity of a nearby dwelling these will be ‘inaudible’ transverse lines placed across the running lane which create significant optical feedback and prompt greater levels of concentration on the approach to a transition in the road. Taking account of the recommendation in your report for the junction to be regulated by ‘Stop’ signs rather than the current ‘Give Way’ controls, our engineering experts have revisited the location to investigate the feasibility of a re-grade. This type of measure is governed by national guidelines and generally confined to junctions where, in the main, visibility is severely hampered. Our experts measured an available view of 95 metres to the left from the junction mouth. This is on the margins of intervention levels but will consequently provide justification for conversion to a ‘Stop’ requirement. We will therefore include this modification in the scheme. Furthermore, the opposing junction is similar in nature and characteristic in terms of available views and the obvious requirement to exercise care. It therefore makes sense to implement an identical scheme and provide a degree of consistency for motorists approaching the main carriageway in either direction of travel. The safe implementation of the proposed measures will require road closures but we have dispensation to incorporate the scheme into our programme as soon as possible and we are therefore currently looking to complete this work before the end of June 2018. I hope these measures provide reassurance that we do take seriously issues of road safety on the county network and are ever mindful that one death on our roads is one too many. Sadly, we know that behind each statistic is a grieving family or someone coming to terms with a life-changing injury.