IAM RoadSmart strongly welcomes roads policing review
The call, announced by Baroness Vere of Norbiton yesterday, stated that prior to 2010 the UK had experienced year-on-year reductions in the number of people killed and seriously injured on the roads. Since then, further reductions in the number of casualties have not been achieved.
It went on to say that the growing number of driver assistance systems, such as autonomous braking and blind spot assist, have improved road safety. But, at the same time the advancements in vehicle infotainment systems and mobile phone technology have caused an increase in sources of distraction for drivers.
Earlier this year, IAM RoadSmart shared the findings of a study which concluded that the latest vehicle infotainment systems impair reaction times behind the wheel more than alcohol and cannabis use. More on the study can be found here.
Rebecca Ashton, Head of Policy and Research at IAM RoadSmart said: “IAM RoadSmart strongly welcomes a review of the effectiveness of roads policing in the UK. Our annual Safety Culture Report shows strong support for the enforcement of traffic laws with drink and drug driving in the number one spot.”
“A reduction in dangerous behaviour on our roads can only be gained by driver education and consistent deployment of roads policing backed-up by the best possible intelligence information. The COVID-19 lockdown has demonstrated that criminality and traffic offences are inextricably linked and the best way to deal with this is by ensuring that the police are resourced properly.
“In our view, making roads policing a Home Office priority and a key performance indicator for chief constables and police commissioners, combined with greater emphasis on driver education, would be the most effective ways to achieve this.”
In the UK, on average five people a day were killed* and the number of people killed on the roads each year is more than twice the number of deaths from homicides** with a further 25,000 plus being seriously injured.
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*figures based on Gov.uk reported road casualties in Great Britain, provisional estimates: year ending June 2019 – 1,870 reported road deaths. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-in-great-britain-provisional-estimates-year-ending-june-2019
**671 homicides reported for the year ending March 2019 according the Office of National Statistics https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/articles/homicideinenglandandwales/yearendingmarch2019
Notes to editors:
Press contacts:
Liam O’Neill at Red Marlin - +44 (0) 7753 540673 - liam@redmarlin.co.uk
IAM RoadSmart press office – +44 (0) 20 8996 9777 – press.office@iam.org.uk
ISDN broadcast lines available
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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://www.iamroadsmart.com/local-groups
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