Brake calls for action as road casualty figures rise

Brake, the UK road safety charity, is calling on the government to take action to reduce the numbers killed and seriously injured on Britain’s roads. In recent years road safety policy has been diminished by a lack of interest, urgency and resources, the consequences of which are becoming increasingly apparent as our road casualty figures begin to rise. Brake is calling on the government to act now to uphold its commitment to zero road deaths and injuries on the road. Road casualty figures just released
February 3, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
4235 Brake, the UK road safety charity, is calling on the government to take action to reduce the numbers killed and seriously injured on Britain’s roads. In recent years road safety policy has been diminished by a lack of interest, urgency and resources, the consequences of which are becoming increasingly apparent as our road casualty figures begin to rise. Brake is calling on the government to act now to uphold its commitment to zero road deaths and injuries on the road.

Road casualty figures just released by the 1837 Department for Transport reveal that 25,160 people were killed or seriously injured in the year ending September 2016, a six per cent  increase, although there has been a small drop in slight injuries over the same period. Road casualties have increased for all road users during this period, with car occupant casualties increasing by 10 per cent and motorcyclist casualties by five per cent. The number of children (aged 0-15) killed or seriously injured on UK roads has risen by eight per cent.

Brake says this is clear evidence that action needs to be taken, particularly to protect the most vulnerable road users.  

In addition, the government’s provisional estimates suggest that there has been a ‘statistically significant’ increase in the numbers killed and seriously injured in a crash where one or more of the drivers were under the influence of alcohol. The number of collisions involving alcohol increased by two per cent over the same period, revealing a widespread problem that Brake says must be addressed. It is calling on the government to increase the resources available to the police so they can crack down on dangerous drivers that choose to get behind the wheel when they are over the limit.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Project EDWARD release figures for second European day without a road death
    September 26, 2017
    Initial finding from the second Project EDWARD (European Day Without A Road Death) on 21 September have revealed that 37 people lost their lives in 25 countries – five have yet to report. Of the fatalities reported so far, 10 were in Poland, six in Greece and six in Romania.
    Read More
  • Smartphone apps creating more distraction for young drivers
    April 30, 2012
    Recent survey findings from Ingenie, a UK car insurance brand for young drivers, have revealed that 58 per cent of 17-25 year old drivers agree that smartphone apps are causing young people to be more distracted at the wheel. The company commissioned the survey of 1,000 young drivers, conducted by One Poll, which has uncovered the extent of how smartphones and social media are distracting 17-25 year olds when behind the wheel.
    Read More
  • City Safety reduces low speed accidents on Volvo’s XC60 and S60
    May 29, 2013
    It was four years ago that Volvo introduced its City Safety collision avoidance system which is designed to reduce the number and severity of low-speed accidents to the US market. However, a study in America by the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) has shown that the results may not be as good as initially indicated by an earlier report. According to Volvo, statistics show that 75% of reported collisions occur at speeds of up to 30km/h (18.6mph) typically in urban traffic and in slow-moving traffic queues
    Read More
  • FTA calls for infrastructure investment in Chancellor’s Spending Review
    September 11, 2015
    The Freight Transport Association (FTA) has told the Chancellor that investment in roads and rail infrastructure is key to the UK’s future growth in its submission ahead of his 2015 Spending Review. Chancellor George Osborne will publish his review on 25 November, setting out how the Government will invest in priority public services and deliver the US$31 billion further savings required to eliminate Britain’s deficit by 2019-20. FTA says the UK economy’s reliance on freight means investing in the s
    Read More

Highlighted Content