Image: PACTS
With two weeks to go until the general election, the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) has called on all political parties to commit to an overhaul of road safety in the next Parliament.
In a press release issued on Tuesday (23 May), PACTS says more needs to be done to address the number of road deaths which, after a period of rapid decline, has remained unchanged in statistical terms since 2011.
PACTS is calling for an added focus on the safety of vulnerable road users, as well as effective action to tackle inappropriate speed and drink-driving – including greater use of technology where police numbers are stretched.
It is urging the next Government to show strong support for the proposed changes to EU vehicle safety regulations – and for a renewed partnership between local authorities and government to deliver effective casualty reduction measures.
PACTS has also renewed its call for the establishment of a UK road collision investigation body and an overhaul of how collision information is gathered and analysed.
To assist the next Government, PACTS has published three papers focussing on safer road users, safer roads and safer vehicles. Part of PACTS’ ‘UK Road Safety – Seizing the Opportunities’ project, the papers highlight priorities and assess whether or not they are addressed in the current Government’s road safety strategy.
David Davies, PACTS’ executive director, said: “After a period in which road deaths fell rapidly, we have had years of little or no change. The public want a future Government to improve safety, on the major road network and in towns and villages.
“They want an end to dangerous driver behaviour, and the freedom to walk and cycle without fear of death or serious injury. These three papers provide the evidence on how and why it should be done.
“We need to raise our ambitions in the UK and start planning for a road system which does not tolerate death and serious injury as a routine occurrence.”
The reason PACTS is calling for an overhaul of road safety is because the rate of reduction of road deaths has stopped and this is a very serious matter.
In 2010 the Govt reduced money available for road safety, for example in Leicestershire this has meant the elimination of virtually all the funds normally applied annually to road safety improvement on measure of Engineering, Enforcement and Education.
This has happened across the nation and the consequence is that there was no reduction in the death rate. If the rate of reducing deaths had maintained its historic level there would be around 650 more people alive today, so the issue is of great concern to all of us.
Malcolm Whitmore
0
So stats have been the same since 2010 according to the report I read. Not much movement up or down so one may consider that something useful and constructive has been done. Something in the past that at least first reduced them and second kept them down for the last 6 years.
However then it suggests to look at inappropriate speeding and drink driving as the way to go as if we havn’t already spent considerable time and effort on those two issues already in this decade.
Perhaps there maybe another one or two causes beside those that have been put forward again and that are issues not yet identified by the those in power.
I believe that we need to look elsewhere as to the causation of incidents and further than just speed and alcohol and perhaps distraction.
Bob Craven Lancs
0