RoSPA report record low in road deaths
The number of deaths on British roads every year has dipped below the 2,000 point for the first time.
1,857 lives were lost as a result of road accidents last year, according to figures released today by the Department for Transport – a 16% drop on 2009’s figure.
The number of serious injuries also fell by 8% on the year before.
Kevin Clinton, RoSPA’s Head of Road Safety, hailed the news as a “significant achievement” which furthered Britain from the mid-80s high when annual road deaths hit a lofty 5,500.
“This proves the value and effectiveness of a comprehensive road safety strategy which has strong government leadership and involves the joint working of the road safety community,” he said.
Mr Clinton expressed a desire to identity exactly why the figure had reduced so sharply, suggesting that the rising price of fuel forcing drivers to use their car less could have been an influence. He may have a case, considering the 7% jump in the number of cyclists killed.
“It might be that the economic downturn has had a part to play, through a reduction in traffic and lower speeds, and perhaps also the particularly harsh winter,” Kevin pondered.
“But there is no doubt that Britain’s world-leading strategic approach to road safety has provided the context for continuous casualty reduction for several decades.”
Neil Greig, Director of Policy and Research for the IAM, welcomed the progress, commenting: “It’s great to see deaths and injuries falling.
“The partnership between government, local authorities, enforcement agencies and education bodies is saving lives.
“The challenge now for the government is to treat driving as a skill for life and support post-test training. Equally every individual motorist has to take responsibility for their own road risk, whether that means improving their driving through further training, or simply by taking a bit more care.”
Young males
RoSPA published the data on the same day as Brake’s annual conference which revealed the concerning fact that one in 60 young male motorists kill or injure someone every year.
Speaking in front of road safety professionals at the Royal College of Surgeons in London, Brake’s campaigns director Julie Townsend said these incidents are violent and often leave those responsible psychologically scarred.
She called for the Government to introduce a system of Graduated Driver Licensing to helping to prevent “this needless carnage.”
“There is an urgent need for the Government to show leadership in tackling young driver crashes,” she added.
“It’s unacceptable that so many young male drivers are involved in these violent and traumatic events that have a lasting impact on their lives, in some tragic cases prematurely ending them.”
The conference also revealed that before their 18th birthday, one in every 451 male drivers is killed or suffers serious injury on the road. However by the time they are 19, this stat is slashed to one in every 841.
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