UK road casualty statistics labelled ‘disgraceful’

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• Edward Handley - 27/09/2019 12:41

  Government targets have got a bad press in recent years, and mostly for good reasons, as achieving targets has often distracted organisations from dealing with the really important issues, but road safety targets are different, because the road safety target actually is THE important issue - reducing the number of people killed and injured on our roads. The first step should therefore be to re-introduce clear targets for road casualty reduction. The second step must be to seriously increase the number of road traffic police on the roads, including marked and unmarked cars. In recent years Traffic Police have been far to thin on the ground and have had to spend virtually all their time dealing with crashes and investigations and too little patrolling and showing the flag. Traffic Police have a massive deterrent effect and each patrol develops a bubble of good behaviour around it calming down the idiots who think it is ok to drive badly. The effects last quite a long time afterwards as the only real deterrent to very bad driving is a strong possibility of getting caught. Every time a Cop Car pulls someone over it is a strong road safety lesson for every other passing motorist. Road policing is expensive, but the fact is that Traffic Police and ANPR have always had the highest arrest rate of any Police, and not just motoring offences, as most criminals use vehicles: A simple traffic stop often leads to a Police officer looking in the boot or back of a van! There is no mystery about why road casualties have stopped falling when the downward trend should easily have been maintained. The Government took their eye of the ball and did not update the targets, funding was withdrawn from Traffic Policing and local authorities have pretty well abolished their road safety departments. The surprising thing is that the figures remained virtually static when they could easily have gone up. That is probably due to the technological improvements to vehicles, so well done the manufacturers! Had the downward trend in road deaths been maintained over the last 6 or 7 years it has been flat lining for, somewhere between 1000 and 1500 people who died on our roads would not have been killed. That is the really shocking statistic.

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• G Plowden - 26/12/2019 18:44

  The figures need to be related to the amount of traffic to produce a rate.

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• Lee Jones - 28/01/2020 16:09

  The UK has among the lowest fatality rate of any developed country (as a function of population, car ownership and distance traveled) and is well below neighboring European countries like Germany, France, Belgium and Spain. The United States has a per-capita fatality rate 4 times higher than the UK. Only Norway, Sweden and Switzerland have lower per-capita fatality rate than the UK does. Perhaps for once we can forgo the constant bashing and put downs and recognize that, as far as minimizing road traffic casualties go, the UK is well ahead of the global (and even European) curve. In terms of the lack of a reduction in casualties, perhaps this is highlighting that the constant emphasis on speed and the wholesale reduction in speed limits as the primary method of reducing casualties simply isn't working (perhaps because other factors that aren't being pursued are actually far more important). A more holistic approach is likely needed if casualty rates are to fall any further, especially if we want to deal with the increase in child casualties. A greater emphasis on awareness and education would likely help. It seems unfathomable to me that given how pervasive our road network is and at the age at which children are exposed to it (and even given unsupervised access to it) - that there is no requirement for formal education on proper road use in schools. It's crazy that the first time most people pick up a copy of the highway code is when they start to learn to drive at the age of 17 - despite the HC having rules and guidance for all road users (including pedestrians). IMO the highway code should form part of the national curriculum.

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• John Doe - 14/03/2020 22:36

  What a load of tosh. Sounds like you are trying to force older motorists off the road. Very ageist of you, when we know full well who the real danger is. Young drivers who can just jump in any car after passing a test at 17, unlike motorcyclists, a minority group who are routinely and historically discriminated against. The only disgrace is you.

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• Jim - 23/04/2020 10:39

  The number of deaths on the roads is tiny compared to something like flu for example. Why spend billions over an issue that is so ridiculously insignificant. In a country of over 60,000,000 people, less than 2,000 deaths a year is actually amazing. Let's stop funding a nonsense policy.

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