FOR IMMEDIATE USE NOVEMBER 3 2011
PACTS COMMENTS ON Q2 2011 PROVISIONAL ROAD CASUALTIES
Commenting on the publication by the Department for Transport this morning of provisional road casualty figures to June 2011, Robert Gifford, Executive Director of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety, said “Obviously it is good to know that in the year July 2010 to June 2011 road deaths overall were down. However, the good news disguises the fact that for the first two quarters of 2011 deaths actually rose.
“In January to March, the rise was 6% and in April to June it was 7%. While we should be careful about drawing too strong a conclusion from two quarters, this nevertheless should sound alarm bells for Ministers. The rise in deaths occurred at a time when the economy continued to flatline. While some of the overall fall in deaths over the last few years was related to the recession, this rise suggests that the key messages about safe road use are having less effect among road users. We must hope that the new strategic framework for road safety will help to confirm the government’s commitment to making roads safer for all classes of road user. Ministers need to give a firm lead on this issue, demonstrating political leadership.
“Also of concern is information in Table RAS45008 showing a steady rise in all injuries involving cyclists. These have risen in 9 of the last 14 quarters. When we saw similar rises in motorcycling casualties in the early 2000s, the government set up a Motorcycle Advisory Group to look at how to improve their safety. Perhaps we need a similar group to assess how to improve cycle safety and maintain the steady increase in cycle usage.”
ENDS
For further information please contact Robert Gifford 020 7222 7732 (work)
Note to editors:
The Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety is a registered charity advising MPs and Peers on road, rail and air safety issues. Its charitable objective is: To protect human life through the promotion of transport safety for the public benefit.
The Q2 2011 Provisional road casualty information can be accessed here with the overview of the statistics available here from the Department for Transport.
