road deaths have only fallen by 9% over the last decade (2014 to 2023), compared to 47% decline in the previous decade (2004 to 2013)
RoSPA urges government to commit to a robust, evidence-based plan to prevent KSIs
Commenting on the latest Reported Road Collisions data for 2023, James Broun, Research Manager at RoSPA said: “While we’re pleased to see road fatalities fall by 5% on 2022, sadly 1,624 people still died on the roads last year – an unacceptably high figure following years of stagnation in fatality reduction.
“We are particularly concerned that when we include the number of people seriously injured on the roads, the overall figure (29,711) has shown virtually no improvement over the last year.
“It’s important to put this into context. Although it’s good to see that road fatalities have decreased by 9% over the past decade, this is a marked slowdown compared to the 47% reduction achieved in the previous ten years.
“Taking a longer view, it’s clear that without a comprehensive road safety strategy in place, momentum has been lost.
“We urge the Government to take decisive action and commit to a robust, evidence-based plan to prevent further unnecessary deaths and serious injuries on our roads.”
Bridgestone has come up with a timely New Year Resolution suggestion for Scottish motorists, after more than half failed to recognise an ‘extremely serious’ risk associated with illegal tyre usage.
The tyre manufacturer is urging drivers across the country to check their tyres regularly throughout 2024, after 58% of Scottish motorists didn’t regard driving on illegal tyres as being potentially life threatening, with only 12% describing them as the most important safety feature on their cars, according to latest research1.
A survey amongst 1,000 drivers across Scotland revealed that despite tyres being the only contact points between a vehicle and the road – and responsible for 159 deaths or serious injuries from defective tyres related accidents2 – 81% admitted to never checking their tyresfor signs of wear or damage.
The Bridgestone results tie in with a recording of 4,596 total casualties from tyre-related incidents on roads in the past years2 and there being in the region of 10 million illegal tyres on Britan’s roads each year2 With all this in mind, Bridgestone’s North Region Vice President Andrea Manenti has come up with a New Year Resolution suggestion.
He said: “Regular tyre checks, preferably once a fortnight, is a great resolution, as it can be the difference between life and death.
“Periodically check traction, or available grip, when driving in challenging conditions. Apply the brakes with moderate pressure to determine the available grip and modify your driving, if needed, to respond to ever-changing road conditions.
“The legal minimum tread depth is 1.6mm. Insert a 20p coin in the tread; if you can see the border, it’s time to change the tyres. Thereafter, maximise available grip by separating driving manoeuvres when negotiating a curve.
“Brake to an appropriate speed while travelling in a straight line prior to a curve. This allows you to use all the available grip for negotiating the curve. Accelerate gradually when you are able to straighten the steering wheel at the exit of the turn.
Bridgestone’s New Year’s Resolution suggestion represents part of its mission to continue to provide social and customer value as a sustainable solutions company.
It also embodies Bridgestone’s E8 Commitment – a set of eight commitments (Energy, Ecology, Efficiency, Extension, Economy, Emotion, Ease, Empowerment) which provide a compass to guide their strategic priorities, decision making and actions throughout every area of the business and operations.
Bridgestone’s road safety tips provides Ease, by bringing comfort and peace of mind to mobility life and Extension, by committing to nonstop mobility and innovation that keeps people and the world moving ahead.
For more information and advice about tyre safety from Bridgestone, visit:
Reduce your speed to save lives, that’s the message from The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) as we head into some of the darkest months of the year.
The most recent Department for Transport (DfT) data revealed that in 2022, there were around 40,000 people injured on our roads during hours of darkness. This included 8,780 people who were seriously injured, and 737 who sadly died.
Rebecca Guy, Road Safety Manager, said:“This time of year sees a worrying combination of darker skies and poor weather conditions, which can pose unique risks to motorists and pedestrians and cyclists – these risks are amplified if someone is speeding.
“Higher speeds mean that drivers have less time to identify and react to what is happening around them, and it takes longer for the vehicle to stop, removes the driver’s safety margin and turns near misses into collisions.
“Driving at 30mph, vehicles are travelling at around three car lengths a second – one blink and the driver may fail to see the early warning brake lights; a short glance away and the movement of a child behind a parked car could be missed[i].
“With that in mind, and the poor visibility this season poses, it’s clear to see the tragic consequences speeding could have.”
RoSPA advises the following when driving in darker periods of the day:
Be prepared: As the UK experiences shorter days and longer nights, it is crucial for motorists to adjust their driving habits. The decreased visibility during early mornings and evenings demands heightened caution. RoSPA urges drivers to use dipped headlights, ensure clean windshields, and to be extra cautious when navigating poorly lit roads.
Control your speed: Darkness amplifies the risks associated with speeding. The lack of visibility, compounded by higher speeds, can lead to devastating collisions. The DfT reports that in 2022, exceeding the speed limit was deemed a contributory factor for 19% of all fatal collisions. In 9 per cent of fatal collisions, driving too fast for the conditions was deemed a contributory factor[ii]. RoSPA emphasises that adhering to speed limits and driving to the conditions is paramount, especially when daylight hours are limited.
Rebecca Guy continues:“If you must travel in the dark, I suggest leaving ample time for the journey, ensuring you can travel within the speed limit, and maintain a safe distance behind other road users.
“As we age, our ability to adapt to changing light reduces, which impacts how we see colours and contrasts in low-light conditions. It also takes longer for the eyes to recover from glare – from one second at age 15, to nine seconds at 65.”
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) is deeply concerned that latest Department for Transport (DfT) figures show an increase in the number of fatal collisions involving cyclists and children, despite an overall reduction in the number of road deaths following a year of lockdowns.
The DfT published the Reported Road Casualties Great Britain 2020 which shows that last year 1,460 people were killed on our roads, which is a fall of 17 per cent compared with the figure in 2019.
In 2020, there were a total of 115,584 reported road casualties of all severities, which was a fall of 25 per cent from the previous year. For much of 2020, there was a COVID lockdown and the RAC estimated that miles travelled in Great Britain were 21 per cent down on the previous year.
Alarmingly, data from the DfT shows that in 2020, 141 cyclists were killed in road accidents. This was up 41 per cent from 100 deaths in the previous year. The number of children killed on Britain’s roads also increased, from 49 in 2019 to 52 in 2020.
David Walker, Head of Road and Leisure Safety at RoSPA said:“By any measure 2020 was an abnormal year. It is of no surprise that the overall number of road casualties fell. This is in no small part due to less traffic on the roads.
“With traffic levels returning to pre-pandemic levels and some understandable reluctance towards using public transport, we must today continue to focus on the harm to motorists and more significantly, from motorists.
“We welcome the fact that more people have been getting out on their bikes and recognise the reduction in the rate of deaths per mile travelled. However, this should not distract from the shocking fact that more cyclists and more children died on our roads than in the previous year.
“At RoSPA we believe that having more cyclists and pedestrians should not result in an increased number of serious and fatal accidents involving vulnerable road users.
“We must continue to act decisively if we want to maintain the position of British roads being among the safest in the world.”
With travel restrictions in place throughout 2020, there was a huge increase in the number of people electing to use active travel such as walking and cycling.
The UK’s largest independent road safety charity, IAM RoadSmart, is calling for the Government to show real leadership to drive down death and injury on UK roads after yet another year of no real improvement according to figures released by the Department for Transport yesterday.
Provisional figures for 2019 in: Reported road casualties in Great Britain: provisional results 2019, revealed there were 1,748 reported road deaths, compared to 1,784 in 2018. Although this is, a welcome two per cent fall it marks an eight-year period of no significant reduction in deaths on UK roads. It means that on average almost five people are still dying on UK roads every day.
Fatalities for older road users – aged 60 and over – was the largest increase for any group increasing by eight per cent from 588 in 2018 to 637 in 2019.
Neil Greig, IAM RoadSmart’s Director of Policy & Research, said: “These results are frankly embarrassing. We need UK Government to show real leadership and push road safety up the political agenda if we are to see a return of year-on-year improvements.
“Some quick wins could include: graduated driver licencing, more traffic police on the roads, a new approach to older drivers – such as an eye test on licence renewal at 75, mature driver assessments on prescription and more powers for the Health and Safety Executive to insist on good driver risk management across UK business.”
IAM RoadSmart expects 2020 to be a unique year, due to COVID-19, and comparisons with previous years will almost certainly not be possible. But with 2020 results not being published for another year the true impact of the pandemic on road deaths in the UK will not be clear for some time.
Neil added: “Up to date collision information is essential to avoid transport policy being developed in a data vacuum.
“We urge the Government to issue road safety figures for the last few months now so that informed decisions can be made. This is particularly important following the significant shift we’ve seen in recent months due to the pandemic and increasing use of new modes of transport.”
SHARP RISE IN PEDESTRIAN DEATHSIN SCOTLAND
Latest road safety statistics reveal a 35 per cent increase in pedestrian fatalities last year. Transport Scotland’s ‘Key Reported Road Casualties Scotland 2019’ report, published yesterday, gives provisional statistics of reported injuries and shows pedestrian deaths rose from 34 in 2018 to 46 in 2019.
It comes after the Prime Minister announced a consultation into the Highway Code to make it safer for people walking and cycling this week (27 July 2020).
A key feature of the proposals is the idea of a ‘hierarchy of responsibility’, with road users who cause the greatest harm having a greater responsibility to reduce the threat they pose to others; along with proposed changes at crossings and junctions and additional narrative on the dangers of speeding.
Stuart Hay, Director of Living Streets Scotland, part of the UK charity for everyday walking, said: “It is deeply concerning to see any rise in pedestrian deaths, especially at this level. We urge the Scottish Government to investigate the spike in casualties.
“The majority of these incidents occurred in urban areas, highlighting the need to bring speeds and traffic levels down. The changes proposed to the Highway Code this week, along with a mandatory 20mph limit, are vital if we’re to keep people safe on our streets.
“The Highway Code currently treats all road users – from children walking to lorry drivers – as if they are equally responsible for their own or other people’s safety. However, people walking cause the least road danger but are often left paying the price – as these figures show.
“Whether we choose to drive or cycle, we are all pedestrians at some point. These proposed revisions will benefit all of us and I urge people to respond to the Highway Code consultation so that this may be the last year we see increases like this.”
For more information and to take part in the Highway Code consultation, visit livingstreets.org.uk/no1
Scottish Greens Lothian MSP Alison Johnstone has lent her support to a grassroots campaign calling for urgent action to protect cyclists and pedestrians after a spate of accidents, including the deaths of a three-year-old boy and an NHS nurse in recent days.
Hundreds gathered to reclaim a road in Edinburgh today in a vigil for the deaths, which come after years of campaigning to protect cyclists and pedestrians in the capital.
Alison Johnstone said: “I fully support the many Edinburgh residents who have gathered today to demand that enough is enough. Yesterday a man was killed while he was cycling to work, and the day before a three-year-old boy was killed on a pavement. There have also been other cases of accidents involving cyclists and pedestrians this week. It’s absolutely heartbreaking.
“It’s not good enough to just offer condolences. In 2012 I called for capital road safety summit and raised these concerns at Scottish Government’s road safety group with many of the people campaigning today, and I can’t believe eight years later we’re still mourning cyclists killed on our streets.
“We need to see urgent action on the ground to make streets safer for people walking and cycling.
“If we cannot afford basic safety for people merely cycling to work or walking on a pavement we fail a basic test of leadership. Edinburgh needs to drastically cut traffic, like most normal historic European cities have done.”
