Road accident reduction targets needed, says RAC

Deaths and serious injuries on the roads are likely to cost society £110 billion in the years to 2030, according to a report commissioned by the Parliamentary Advisory Committee for Transport Safety.

The total of those killed or seriously injured (KSIs) over this period is expected to be around a third of a million. These huge figures are expected despite the report predicting a dip in KSIs (killed or seriously injuries) and slight injuries by 2030 compared with figures for 2012.

Deaths are likely to reduce from a figure of 1,754 in 2012 to around 1,000 a year by 2030, with serious injuries falling from 23,029 in 2012 to about 11,000 in 2030. Slight injuries are forecast to fall from 170,930 in 2012 to about 150,000 by 2030.

RAC technical director David Bizley said: “While road deaths are currently at their lowest ever levels, overall casualty statistics have been a little up and down in recent years after many years of steady decline.

“What’s needed now is for the Government to return to setting national targets for reductions in road fatalities and serious accidents. For some reason the current government has been reluctant to set targets, but we know historically this has always proved successful in reducing casualties.

“As a society we must ensure all stakeholders work together to sustain casualty reduction and national targets are a great way of galvanising efforts towards a common goal. This way we can take road casualty numbers to the lowest possible figures.

The RAC, in conjunction with the Department for Transport, has just launched a national child road safety campaign based around a 21st century road safety mascot created by Aardman Animations with the aim of putting an end to child road accidents.

In 2012 a total of 6,999 child pedestrians under the age of 16 were injured on British roads. Sadly, 20 of these lost their lives and a further 13 child cyclists died and 2,185 were injured in accidents. Roads are significantly safer than they were 30 years ago, however a total of 190,689s children under the age of 16 were killed or seriously injured on British roads during the period 1983 to 2012.