Figures show alarming new crash trends

Manufacturer investment in car, van and truck safety along with road engineering continues to help drive down UK road casualties. However, the Department for Transport's official 2006 road casualty statistics reveal two alarming developments: a rise in the number of fatal crashes on Britain's roads and, for the third successive year, an increase in the number of cyclists killed and seriously injured. The number of cyclists killed has risen by 30% since 2003.

Additionally, the latest figures reveal a continuing slowdown in the reduction in the number of casualties on the nation's roads despite investment by the Government in a range of safety measures.

Casualty

In a bid to give a renewed impetus to further lowering the road casualty fi gures, the Government is pumping £5.5 million into the funding of 25 new local authority road safety schemes (see panel story).

RoadSafe director Adrian Walsh said: "There is concern that the rapid decline in road casualty numbers has slowed despite the fact that a huge amount of money is being spent on various initiatives.

"That is why the Government's new approach with funding for these local schemes through its road safety grant programme is to be welcomed. With the launch of the programme the Government has recognised that local bespoke safety initiatives are required if a national reduction in road casualties is to gather renewed momentum." Funding is being sourced via fines imposed on speeding drivers and Mr Walsh said: "This localised approach will enable local authorities to take vital remedial action and put in place speed management programmes that are specific to individual needs."

Last year there were a total of 189,161 crashes on the country's roads (2005: 198,735) - 5% down - of which 2,926 involved fatalities (2005: 2,913).

The number of people killed on the country's roads dropped 1% to 3,172 (2005: 3,201) with 28,673 people seriously injured (2005: 28,954) and 226,559 people slightly injured (2005: 238,862). The number of casualties totalled 258,404 (2005: 271,017) - 5% down.

The continuing decline in the number of casualties means the Government is on course to achieve its safety strategy targets outlined in its 2000 publication 'Tomorrow's Roads Safer for Everyone'.

By 2010, compared with the average for 1994 to 1998, the Government wants to achieve a 40% reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured in road accidents; a 10% reduction in the slight casualty rate, expressed as the number of people slightly injured per 100 million vehicle kilometers; and a 50% reduction in the number of children killed or seriously injured.

Figures for the 12 months to December 2006 compared with the 1994 to 1998 baseline averages indicate:

• The number of people killed or seriously injured was 33% below the baseline. However, the number of people killed on the roads has fallen by only 12% since the baseline was established.
• The slight casualty rate per 100 million vehicle kilometers was 26% below the baseline
• The number of children killed or seriously injured was 52% below the baseline.

The surprising rise in the number of fatalities on the roads last year is, according to campaign group Safe Speed, caused by a reliance on speed cameras to infl uence behaviour instead of new Government road safety policies being established around driving skills and driver attitudes.

Safer

The group's founder Paul Smith said: "Fatal crashes should not be up. We know we're putting safer cars on the roads every year; we know we're continuing to improve road engineering and we know we continue to improve at post crash care and rescue. In the past these factors drove down road risks very markedly, with deaths falling year after year. "Our extensive research indicates one clear cause - drivers are getting worse under the influence of bad road safety policy. Modern road safety policy, particularly speed cameras, criminalises millions and increases road deaths. We need new policies based on skill and attitudes."

There is no doubt that there continues to be a reduction in road casualties from a 16-year high (1991-2006) in 1997 of 327,803 to 258,404 last year - a fall of around 22%. However, there has been a significant slowdown in the number of people killed on roads in the 1997-2006 period from 3,599 to 3,172 (13%). Although over the 16 years from 1991 the number of people killed has been cut by 31% (see chart).

The motor industry believes it continues to play a significant role in the reduction of casualties due to improvements in passive safety systems such as airbags and crumple zones designed to protect occupants in a crash and the rise in the number of vehicles fitted with active safety systems. These prevent an accident happening and include technologies like lane departure warnings, assisted braking systems and electronic stability control.

Christopher Macgowan, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said: "We should welcome the news that UK roads are safer and highlight the progress we have made. Nevertheless, we must not be complacent: behind the statistics lie events that devastate lives and the motor industry is committed to continue to deliver safer cars, vans and trucks."

But while there have been year-on-year reductions in the number of pedestrians, motoryclists and car users killed and injured, there was a further rise last year in cycle deaths and serious injuries - 2,442, which was up from 2,360 in 2005, although the number of cyclists slightly injured continued to fall.

The rise in the number of cyclist deaths and serious injuries could be linked to the Government's 'green' agenda and an upsurge in people taking to two wheels instead of four.

That increase coupled with the clear slowdown in the decline in road casualties, and particularly fatalities - although the number of kilometres travelled by vehicles has topped 500 billion (1997: 450 billion) - has led some safety campaigners to call for a Government safety strategy rethink.

They say that while there are speeding drivers and people drunk, drugged or unlicensed behind the wheel of vehicles the carnage on Britain's roads will continue. As a result they want to see more off-road cycle paths, compulsory 20 mph limits around homes and schools and an increased and on-going crackdown on law-breaking and dangerous drivers.

However, the Government would argue that its funding for new local projects along with other initiatives such as the 'Driving for Better Business Programme' and the van driver targeted 'Driving for Work' campaign under the Think! programme (RoadSafe: spring 2007) do mark a new strategy as it continues to work to reduce the nine deaths and almost 700 people injured each day on Britain's roads.

Safety schemes cover a wide range

The initiatives, which also include the driving for work programme being introduced by Cambridgeshire County Council, are the first to be funded under the Government's new Road Safety Partnership Grant Scheme.

The cash is being provided to local highway authorities who are taking an 'innovative and collaborative' approach to improving road safety.

Former Road Safety Minister Dr Stephen Ladyman said: "Road safety is an area where local projects can, and do, work extremely well and I am committed to encouraging communities to try and improve their road safety records. This new grant is designed to bring together a range of partners to develop innovative local schemes for that very reason. These schemes intend to tackle a range of issues - from seatbelt use to improving the safety of child pedestrians; from tackling motorcycle safety to working with young drivers or those that drive for work. All of which are areas that we are concentrating on nationally."

Local authority project applications were assessed by the Department for Transport on a variety of criteria including evidence of the road safety issue to be addressed, proposed objectives, value for money and monitoring/evaluation arrangements.

Projects to benefit are: Blackburn & Darwen, child pedestrian training (£84,000); Brighton & Hove, engineering, education and publicity scheme (£771,000); Bristol, cyclist safety (£36,500); Calderdale, seat belt compliance (£186,000); Cambridgeshire, driving for work (£93,000); Bradford, driver outreach (£12,000); Derbyshire, motorcycle audit (£205,000); Durham, driver outreach (£92,500); Essex, community vehicle (£205,000); Gateshead, child pedestrian training/regional road safety monitoring (£179,000); Greater Manchester, young drivers/enforcement evaluation project (£1.06 million); Hartlepool, community work (£25,000); Kirklees, young adults (£135,000); Lancashire, interactive audit (£15,000); Lincolnshire, young drivers (£203,500); London - Lewisham, young drivers volunteer training (£179,000); London - Merton, child pedestrian training/ community mobility work (£70,500); Norfolk, older drivers (£101,000); Oldham, child pedestrian/young drivers (£330,000); South Tyneside, engineering scheme (£500,000); Southend-on-Sea, child pedestrian training (£76,000); Suffolk, older drivers (£180,000); Walsall, child pedestrian training (£62,500); West Sussex, engineering scheme (£420,000); Worcestershire, community work (£284,000).

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