Record low for road deaths and injuries
25/06/09 18:18 Filed in: News
Figures announced by the UK Government
show that deaths and injuries on Britain’s roads have reached an
all-time record low.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents has welcomed progress towards making Britain’s roads the safest in the world. It has also highlighted that these figures mean that Britain has met its road safety targets set for 2010.
There were 2,538 deaths on UK roads in 2008, down from 2,946 in 2007. A total of 26,029 people were seriously injured (down from 27,774 in 2007). The total number of road casualties was 230,884 (down from 247,780 in 2007).
Pedestrian deaths fell below 600 for the first time (to 572), a reduction of more than a third over the last 10 years (in 1998, 906 pedestrians were killed).
Pedal cyclist deaths fell from 136 in 2007 to 115 in 2008, but there was an increase in the number of cyclists seriously injured from 2,428 in 2007 to 2,450 in 2008.
There were 493 motorcycle user fatalities (down from 588 in 2007), but deaths still remain higher than they were in the mid-1990s.
However, RoSPA is very concerned that child deaths did not follow this pattern and rose from 121 in 2007 to 124 in 2008.
“Last year saw the lowest number of road deaths since records began. This new record low shows that the fall in road deaths is a trend, not a statistical blip,” said Kevin Clinton, RoSPA head of road safety. “Every reduction in these numbers represents a person who has not been killed or injured and a family which has not suffered the devastation caused by a road accident.”
He added that the rise in child deaths was unacceptable. “Even though the numbers have fallen significantly over the last 10 years, we need to understand why the latest figures are so bad for child deaths and get back on track to reducing them again.
“Each and every one of us should think about the safety of children and how our personal actions, especially when driving, affect the wellbeing of our most vulnerable road users. We must all play our part in making sure that the number of children killed and injured on the roads this year is much lower than the figures revealed today.”
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents has welcomed progress towards making Britain’s roads the safest in the world. It has also highlighted that these figures mean that Britain has met its road safety targets set for 2010.
There were 2,538 deaths on UK roads in 2008, down from 2,946 in 2007. A total of 26,029 people were seriously injured (down from 27,774 in 2007). The total number of road casualties was 230,884 (down from 247,780 in 2007).
Pedestrian deaths fell below 600 for the first time (to 572), a reduction of more than a third over the last 10 years (in 1998, 906 pedestrians were killed).
Pedal cyclist deaths fell from 136 in 2007 to 115 in 2008, but there was an increase in the number of cyclists seriously injured from 2,428 in 2007 to 2,450 in 2008.
There were 493 motorcycle user fatalities (down from 588 in 2007), but deaths still remain higher than they were in the mid-1990s.
However, RoSPA is very concerned that child deaths did not follow this pattern and rose from 121 in 2007 to 124 in 2008.
“Last year saw the lowest number of road deaths since records began. This new record low shows that the fall in road deaths is a trend, not a statistical blip,” said Kevin Clinton, RoSPA head of road safety. “Every reduction in these numbers represents a person who has not been killed or injured and a family which has not suffered the devastation caused by a road accident.”
He added that the rise in child deaths was unacceptable. “Even though the numbers have fallen significantly over the last 10 years, we need to understand why the latest figures are so bad for child deaths and get back on track to reducing them again.
“Each and every one of us should think about the safety of children and how our personal actions, especially when driving, affect the wellbeing of our most vulnerable road users. We must all play our part in making sure that the number of children killed and injured on the roads this year is much lower than the figures revealed today.”