RoSPA Press Office : Press Release
June 24, 2004
RoSPA ACTION PLAN TO CUT RISING ROAD DEATH TOLL
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents today issued a six-point action plan to cut casualties on Britain’s roads after Government figures showed the highest number of road deaths for six years.
Deaths rose from 3,431 in 2002 to 3,508 last year – up two per cent. The biggest problems were with deaths among motorcyclists – up 14 per cent – and car users – up one per cent.
Kevin Clinton, RoSPA Head of Road Safety said: “The figures are very disappointing and of considerable concern. It is the first time deaths have risen above 3,500 since 1997. The good news is that child and pedestrian casualties are down, but there is clearly a serious problem with motorcyclists. And it is worrying that deaths in cars have gone up, despite improvements in design.”
RoSPA wants:
- Measures to ensure motorcyclists get enough training and that they build up experience on smaller machines before progressing to the bigger bikes, often favoured by people in their 30s and 40s.
- The drink drive limit to be lowered to 50mg – a move that could save 50 lives and 250 serious injuries a year – and random breath testing.
- Motorists to be encouraged to take regular refresher training, which would improve driving standards.
- Employers and the Health and Safety Executive to do more to manage the risks faced and created by employees on the road – between 800 and 1,000 road deaths a year are work-related.
- A switch in the system of changing clocks in spring and autumn to give lighter evenings all year round and potentially save 450 lives and serious injuries each year.
- Higher profile police presence to act as a deterrent to bad drivers because the number of traffic police has reduced in recent years.
RoSPA’s national road safety congress in February next year will focus on “driving deaths down”.
