New partnership launched to cut road casualties by 40%

Emergency services and local authorities across the West Midlands have joined forces to reduce the number of people seriously injured on roads by 40%.

The West Midlands Regional Road Safety Strategic Group has been set up to help deliver on the target to reduce the number of incidents which result in death or serious injury by 2030.

In the UK, road deaths were higher in 2019 than in 2010, according to provisional data. 

The group brings together experts from Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), which is part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), local councils, West Midlands Police, West Midlands Fire Service, Public Health England, road safety charity organisations and the Young Combined Authority.

It will share data and intelligence on the common causes of fatalities and serious road collisions and offer strategic guidance and recommendations for transport and highway authorities.

The group will also be looking into the impacts of Covid-19 and road safety issues around speeding traffic.

Cllr Ian Ward, West Midlands Combined Authority portfolio holder for transport and leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “Our transport system is undergoing rapid change, with an increased focus on public transport, walking and cycling and this partnership will make sure that improving road safety is at the heart of our planning and investment going forward.

"Safer roads will be key to transforming the way we travel across the region and this partnership illustrates a collective determination to cut casualties and deaths on our roads."

The Government is being urged to invest in roads policing and fast track technology to catch drivers who flout traffic laws.

The group will set priorities for the region and will monitor success of the action plan to deliver the regional road safety strategy, paying attention to vulnerable road users and the younger population.

Waheed Saleem, West Midlands deputy police and crime commissioner, said: “We've made strides over many years to reduce harm and deaths on our roads.

"This new group will help us, as we undergo an overhaul of the way transport operates in the West Midlands, to ensure that our roads are safe, and we can encourage people to walk and cycle more as well as reduce casualties and deaths."

The partnership will also consider proposals for pilots of e-scooters as well as other programmes being rolled out as part of the emergency active travel fund, which will see more walking and cycling on our highways.

The group will be chaired by the Road Safety Foundation.