Brake the road safety charity has welcomed falls in the number of casualties on roads, announced by the Department for Transport (DfT), but warned that the good news is tempered by flawed reporting and uncertainty about the future of road safety.

The Government set a target in 2000 of cutting the number of deaths and serious injuries by 40% from the 1994-8 baseline of 47,656. According to the statistics published today, this target has been achieved, with a drop of 44% in deaths and serious injuries from the baseline.

Tuesday’s budget and other recent announcements have suggested significant cuts in future road safety spending, causing concern for the future of life-saving road safety measures.

Ellen Booth, campaigns officer for Brake, the road safety charity, said: “The Government’s road safety strategy and targets were a step in the right direction but all too often crucial road safety action has been undermined. There have been too many missed opportunities to save lives in the past decade. Every death is a tragedy so this is no time for congratulations. We want to challenge the new Government to seize every opportunity to protect road users, starting with setting new, challenging targets. We also need a bold strategy that spells out the importance of investing in road safety, despite government cuts.”

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