IAM RoadSmart concerned that government disruption has forced road safety down the political agenda as new report show practically no change in casualty figures

IAM RoadSmart is increasingly concerned that disruption to government, in part caused by Brexit, has forced road deaths down the political agenda, as the latest road crash statistics issued today (26 September) show no real change in recent years.

IAM RoadSmart, the UK’s biggest independent road safety charity, has expressed disappointment that there has been practically no headway made in six years in the levels of those killed in road crashes on our roads.

This morning the Department of Transport announced there were 1,784 reported road deaths in 2018, compared to 1,793 reported in 2017 – which, although being 1% down over the previous period, is in real terms only a disappointingly marginal reduction.

There were 25,511 people seriously injured in reported road traffic accidents in 2018, compared to 24,831 in 2017 – a very discouraging 3% increase over 12 months.

There were 160,597 casualties of all severities in reported road traffic accidents in 2018, compared to 170,993 a year ago.

Although IAM RoadSmart welcomes this 6% reduction in overall casualties the charity feels it is not good enough.

Neil Greig, IAM RoadSmart director of policy and research, said: “The uncertainty surrounding Brexit has swallowed up the attention of the decision makers for too long now, which means people are still dying on our roads at the same level as six years ago – as a developed nation, that is pretty disgraceful.

“It is really time the government renews its commitment to this issue which is affecting all communities in society, young and old, and make sure we don’t continue to kill and injure people in ways that could so easily be prevented.”

Neil added: “Road safety is everyone’s responsibility and it is clear that working in partnership to promote it is the key to returning to critical, long term downward trends. More incentives for post-test training, consistent enforcement of new motoring laws, accelerating the uptake of AEB (autonomous emergency braking) equipped cars and promoting best practice in driving for work are just a few examples of the quick gains that could be achieved.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

All figures come from official Department for Transport sources: https://www.gov.uk/

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

ISDN broadcast lines available

Follow us:

On Facebook: www.facebook.com/IAMRoadSmart                            

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

ENDS ALL