To mark the start of Road Safety Week, Brake is launching a new Road Victims’ Charter, demanding essential actions to ensure all those affected by road crashes receive the respect, support, and justice they deserve.
The Charter includes a call for Government to establish national standards in post-crash response, and commit to extending the rights set out in the Victims’ Code to those impacted by road harm, regardless of where they live or whether a crime has occurred.
The Road Victims’ Charter has been written in collaboration with bereaved families, trauma consultants, support staff and professionals from across the criminal justice and medical sectors.
It will be launched at a drop-in event for MPs in Westminster today (Monday 18 November) at 3pm.
The latest government road casualty statistics show that in 2023, 1,695 people died on UK roads (1,624 in Britain, 71 in Northern Ireland).
Brake says during the same period, the charity’s National Road Victim Service provided specialist emotional and practical support to more than 1,500 families across the UK, helping them cope with their grief and navigate the complex procedures that often follow a road crash – with numbers already set to be even higher in 2024.
Ross Moorlock, chief executive at Brake, said: “Road casualties are not just statistics. Behind every number is a grief-stricken family whose lives have been changed forever in an instant.
“The demand on our service continues to grow as road deaths and injuries show no sign of reducing. Every year, more families suffer the devastating impact of a road crash. Every year, more and more families come to us in their darkest and most difficult times.
“By comparison, at a Government level, funding for support for road victims is inadequate – so we and other charities that care for bereaved and seriously injured families rely on the generosity of other supporters to fund our vital work. We know that the right support at the right time can change the course of someone’s life.
“Every road victim deserves the very highest standard of support and for that to happen we need a coordinated approach and national standards that meet best practice for post-crash response. We need national, multi-year funding for the provision of support to the affected road victim community, so that every family has access to trauma-informed, face-to-face support within their community, according to their needs.
“Road victims have been the forgotten and neglected victims for far too long and that has to change.”
Four million people set to take part in Road Safety Week 2024
Road Safety Week is Brake’s biggest annual campaign. This year, the campaign aims to raise awareness of the devastating impact of road crashes on everyone involved, and celebrate the incredible work of people who provide support after a crash.
The campaign runs from 17-23 November, and begins on Sunday 17 November to mark the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.
More than 3,300 educators, employers, emergency services and others have signed up to take part, together representing more than four million people.
Brake has provided free resources including lesson plans for schools, social media images, films, posters and a webinar for employers.
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