While there was a 3% drop in total casualties in the first quarter of 2012, KSI casualties among children, pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists all increased compared with the same period in 2011, according to the latest DfT figures.
Both PACTS and the IAM have said the Government should be concerned about the figures, and called for action and leadership with regard to road safety.
‘Reported road casualties Great Britain: provisional estimates Q1 2012’, reveals that KSI (killed and seriously injured) casualty numbers for children, pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists increased by 9%, 6%, 11% and 6% respectively, when compared to the same period last year.
There was little change in the total number of fatalities and KSIs in the 12 months ending 31 March 2012. While fatalities fell by 1% (from 1,881 to 1,870), the number of KSIs rose by the same percentage (from 24,849 to 25,210).
Robert Gifford, executive director of PACTS, said “Overall, there has been little change in the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads over the year April 2011 to March 2012. This should be of concern to the Government, especially in the light of the recent Transport Committee report calling for stronger leadership in this area.
“Of particular concern is the continuing rise in deaths and serious injuries among vulnerable road users. Comparing 2011 with 2012, KSI pedestrians have risen by 8%, cyclists by 13% and motorcyclists by 8%. Overall casualties for cyclists have risen in 10 of the last 13 quarters. This should be of great concern if we are to see more people cycling as a result of the Olympics effect.
“Achieving improvements in road safety is the responsibility of all road users and of those who plan and design the system. We should not allow the continuing improvements in car occupant casualties to lead us to overlook improving the safety of the most vulnerable.”
Simon Best, IAM chief executive, added: “It is unacceptable that road deaths and serious injuries have risen for children, pedestrians, motorcyclists and cyclists.
“Cutting road safety education, scrapping casualty targets and cuts in council spending all suggest this isn’t a major priority. The Government needs to show much greater leadership on road safety.
“Last year’s increase in people killed was a serious warning, but this could be the start of a trend. More must be done to get drivers to look out for vulnerable road users. We must have changes to the driving test, greater enforcement and incentives for driver training.”
I believe part of the problem is the new road safety exercise – that is, instead of segregating all types of road users what some local authorities are doing is integrating them….. into a woonerf. It’s cheaper for them.
If not a woonerf a strange mix of level pavements and different road surfaces which only serve to confuse both pedestrians and motor vehicles alike. In Blackpool several of these places have been manufactured where this mix takes place and yes there have been accidents, incidents, collisions or whatever the new PC dictates.
If other authorities are doing same then in 10 years’ time we will have gone back about 100 years with horse drawn omni buses and carts and have no traffic lights or roundabouts at junctions.
bob Craven Lancs
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Sadly Jan, a huge number of drivers don’t do this. There are all sorts of reasons why drivers don’t ‘see’ vulnerable road users from simple carelessness and distraction to physiological and psychological factors.
Vulnerable road users do need to ensure they do all they can to avoid becoming a casualty but other road users need to do their bit too.
More people are walking, cycling and motorcycling, how has modal shift affected the stats?
Dave, Leeds
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I read somewhere that the inventor of the cellphone, in the first day of it going ‘on-line’, was walking along a sidewalk in New York using the cellphone to brag to a competitor that he had beaten him to market when “I stepped off the curb and nearly got creamed by a New York taxicab!”
Al Gullon, Ottawa, Canada
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For the first time in 54 years and 1m miles, I had a collision with a pedestrian last week.
I was driving slowly through a narrow bridge, braked almost to a halt as I saw a male pedestrian appear to my left. He stopped so I drove on, still slowly – and he stepped off the kerb when level with my passenger window and hit the side of my estate car almost at the back – he collided with me – a minor bump – not I with him! Why? I really don’t know – drunk? Perhaps, even at 5pm, daft? Perhaps. Don’t know as he disappeared.
Idris Francis
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I love this sentence “More must be done to get drivers to look out for vulnerable road users”.
Excuse me, but I would imagine most drivers do this already, no driver/rider wants to run into another human being intentionally.
I believe that the root cause of the rise of pedestrian accidents is that they now have too many electronic distractions and are plainly just not looking where they are going so it is not only the driver’s job to look out but also the pedestrians job to do the same.
I have certainly a lot more pedestrians stepping out into traffic not looking, looking the wrong way, having their hoods up, head down texting, wearing large full over the ear headphones. It’s a no brainier, folks on foot, keep alert your life depends on it.
A rise in cyclist accidents probably due to an increased number on the road, only time will tell so let’s not get too animated about this just yet.
Jan
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