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.

Related Content

  • International Road Safety Awards: the winners
    March 4, 2019
    Road accidents are a major blight on the world’s highways - but some companies are attempting to stem the tide. David Arminas reports on the annual Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards
    Read More
  • Interactive digital map shows road collision history across London
    September 22, 2015
    London’s first interactive digital collision map has been launched by the Mayor and Transport for London (TFL) as part of a continued drive to improve road safety awareness to reduce the number of casualties in the capital. The London Collision Map uses extensive data, collected by the police and held by TfL, to shine a light on road collisions in local areas. This creates a useful new way to inform road users about junctions with high collision histories and aiding improvement work in line with TfL’s co
    Read More
  • USDoT embraces Vision Zero
    January 31, 2022
    'We cannot tolerate the continuing crisis of roadway deaths,' says transport sec Pete Buttigieg
    Read More
  • Counting the cost of road crashes
    April 10, 2017
    Annual research just released by the New Zealand Ministry of Transport estimates that the total social cost of fatal and injury crashes rose from US$2.5 billion (NZ$3.53 billion) in 2014 to US$2.6 billion (NZ$3.79 billion) in 2015. Over 300 New Zealanders lost their lives on the country’s roads last year, and about 2,500 were seriously injured. According to associate transport minister David Bennett, in 40 per cent of the crashes where people were killed or seriously injured, the driver had drunk more
    Read More

Highlighted Content