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IAM RoadSmart disappointed in increase in road deaths – and drivers must take responsibility

Posted on 28/09/17 |
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IAM RoadSmart has expressed its disappointment in yet another year of negligible overall progress in the numbers of people killed and seriously injured on the roads in the UK – and suggests drivers must take their share of the blame. 

IAM RoadSmart, the UK’s biggest independent road safety charity, said that although cars are getting safer and there has been a step change in new road investment, careless human behaviour and increasing traffic levels are cancelling this out.

This morning (28 September) the Department of Transport announced that there were 1,792 reported road deaths in 2016, an increase of four per cent on 2015 – this is the highest total since 2011 (reference 1).

There were 24,101 people seriously injured in reported road traffic accidents in 2016. There were a total of 181,384 casualties of all severities in 2016, around three per cent lower than 2015 and the lowest level on record.

Neil Greig, IAM RoadSmart director of policy and research, said: “Road safety in the UK seems to be bumping along the floor with yet another year without improvement in key fatal and serious injury statistics.

“With six years without progress it is clear that we have an increasingly  complex picture of good news such as safer cars and investment in new roads, being cancelled out by more traffic and a hard core of human behaviour issues that are the most difficult to tackle. 

“Road safety is everyone’s responsibility and it is clear that working in partnership to promote it is the key to returning to long term downward trends.  Accelerating the uptake of AEB (autonomous emergency braking) equipped cars and promoting best practice in driving for work are just two examples where quick gains could be made.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

Reference 1: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/648081/rrcgb2016-01.pdf

Further information from:

IAM RoadSmart press office – 020 8996 9777 – press.office@iam.org.uk                       

ISDN broadcast lines available

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On Twitter: @IAMRoadSmart 

IAM RoadSmart has a mission to make better drivers and riders in order to improve road safety, inspire confidence and make driving and riding enjoyable. It does this through a range of courses for all road users, from online assessments through to the advanced driving and riding tests. IAM RoadSmart is the trading name of all businesses operated by the UK’s largest road safety charity, the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) and was formed in April 2016 combining the IAM, IAM Drive & Survive, PDS and IAM Driver Retraining Academy. The organisation has 92,000 members and campaigns on road safety on their behalf. At any one time there are over 7,000 drivers and riders actively engaged with IAM RoadSmart’s courses, from members of the public to company drivers, while our Driver Retraining Academy has helped 2,500 drivers to shorten their bans through education and support programmes.

To find out more about IAM RoadSmart products and services visit the new website www.iamroadsmart.com                      

To find out more about IAM RoadSmart’s Driver Retraining Academy visit www.iamdra.org.uk            

To find out the name of your own local IAM RoadSmart group please visit: https://wwwiamroadsmart.com/local-groups                    

ENDS ALL