Annual road casualty statistics released – Brake warns of flawed reporting and uncertain future for road safety-Practice DVLA Driving Theory Test Questions Online

Brake the road safety charity has welcomed falls in the number of casualties on roads, announced by the Department for Transport (DfT) today, but warned that the good news is tempered by flawed reporting and uncertainty about the future of road safety.

The figures show continued reductions in deaths on the road and also suggest that serious and slight injuries are steadily falling:

• Deaths have fallen to 2,222 in 2009 from 2,538 in 2008, a reduction of 38% from the 1994-8 baseline*.
• The number of people reported as being seriously injured is also falling. In 2009, 47,656 people were seriously injured on our roads, falling from 26,034 in 2008. A reduction of 45% from the 1994-98 baseline*.

* The Government set a target in 2000 of cutting the number of deaths and serious injuries by 40% from the 1994-8 baseline of 47,656. According to the statistics published today, this target has been achieved, with a drop of 44% in deaths and serious injuries from the baseline.

Brake points out that a similar target for cutting the number of deaths alone would not have been achieved. Worse, gaps in reporting highlighted by hospital statistics put the achievement of the ‘killed and seriously injured’ target in doubt. DfT’s own annual road casualty report for 2008 compared casualty statistics with hospital data, finding significant under-reporting.

Tuesday’s budget and other recent announcements have suggested significant cuts in future road safety spending, causing concern for the future of life-saving road safety measures. Read Brake’s reaction to the budget here.

Ellen Booth, campaigns officer for Brake, the road safety charity, said: “The Government’s road safety strategy and targets were a step in the right direction but all too often crucial road safety action has been undermined. There have been too many missed opportunities to save lives in the past decade. Every death is a tragedy so this is no time for congratulations. We want to challenge the new Government to seize every opportunity to protect road users, starting with setting new, challenging targets. We also need a bold strategy that spells out the importance of investing in road safety, despite government cuts.”