Brake calls for Road Victims’ Charter at the start of Road Safety Week

Every road victim deserves the very highest standard of support, says Brake, the road safety charity, as it puts road victims at the heart of Road Safety Week this week (from November 17-23).

To mark the start of Road Safety Week, the charity’s biggest annual road safety campaign, Brake is launching a new Road Victims’ Charter, demanding essential actions to ensure all those affected by road crashes receive the respect, support, and justice they deserve. 

The Charter includes a call for Government to establish national standards in post-crash response and commit to extending the rights set out in the Victims' Code to those impacted by road harm, regardless of where they live or whether a crime has occurred.

The Road Victims’ Charter has been written in collaboration with bereaved families, trauma consultants, support staff and professionals from across the criminal justice and medical sectors. 

It will be launched at a drop-in event for MPs in Westminster today (Monday, November 18) at 3pm. 

Ross Moorlock, chief executive at Brake, said: “Road casualties are not just statistics. Behind every number is a grief-stricken family whose lives have been changed forever in an instant.

“The demand on our service continues to grow as road deaths and injuries show no sign of reducing. Every year, more families suffer the devastating impact of a road crash. Every year, more and more families come to us in their darkest and most difficult times. 

“By comparison, at a Government level, funding for support for road victims is inadequate – so we and other charities that care for bereaved and seriously injured families rely on the generosity of other supporters to fund our vital work. We know that the right support at the right time can change the course of someone’s life.”

During 2023, the charity’s National Road Victim Service provided specialist emotional and practical support to more than 1,500 families across the UK, helping them cope with their grief and navigate the complex procedures that often follow a road crash, with numbers already set to be even higher in 2024. 

At any point in time, around 700 road victim families are receiving support from Brake, including parents, grandparents, siblings, friends and people who have witnessed a traumatic incident.

Many of the families supported have been involved in multi-fatality crashes, and around 7% of support cases involve the death of a child. Around 12% of support cases involve someone who is considered high risk or vulnerable.

Moorlock said: “Every road victim deserves the very highest standard of support and for that to happen we need a coordinated approach and national standards that meet best practice for post-crash response. 

“We need national, multi-year funding for the provision of support to the affected road victim community, so that every family has access to trauma-informed, face-to-face support within their community, according to their needs. 

“Road victims have been the forgotten and neglected victims for far too long and that has to change.

“Our families have told us what they want and what they need – and that includes recognition of the trauma of sudden road death and injury, parity with other victim groups, sentencing to fit the crime and lessons learned to prevent future road death and injury.

“Until we achieve a world where no one is killed or harmed on a road, we will continue to do everything we can to ensure that everyone affected by road death and injury receives the respect, support and justice they deserve.”

Brake has also published the results of a public opinion survey carried out in April 2024, revealing that 79% of people surveyed agree or strongly agree that families bereaved or seriously injured from a road crash should be able to access the same level of support as homicide victims. 

A further 74% agree that they should be able to access the same level of support as victims of terrorism.

More than 3,300 educators, employers, emergency services and others have signed up to take part in Road Safety Week 2024, together representing more than four million people. 

Brake has provided free resources including lesson plans for schools, social media images, films, posters and a webinar for employers.

Fleet News and Brake will each be holding webinars during Road Safety Week to help employers and fleets keep their drivers and other road users safe.

Find out from Fleet News how to minimise costs and keep drivers safe with a robust accident management strategy.