An alliance of road safety organisations has published a new report urging the Government to launch a ‘robust and far-reaching’ strategy that addresses safe and healthy mobility as well as preventing road death and serious injuries.
The Safe Roads for All report proposes actions to improve the safety of roads, vehicles and drivers alongside providing better support for road victims.
It urges the Government to adopt a ‘long-term, ethical goal’ of zero deaths and serious injuries and a target of a 50% reduction in deaths and serious injuries in crashes by 2030.
The report also calls for the Government to:
- Upgrade roads to reduce risk and provide facilities to support healthier travel choices for young and old alike.
- Prioritise traffic-free space for people cycling and walking that also connects to good public transport, as well as 20mph limits in urban areas
- Improve measures that protect people in vehicles, such as crash barriers and junction design
- Make vehicle safety and emission standards ‘world-leading’
- Help drivers to be safe, through measures such as phased driver licensing and a lowered drink drive limit
- Help road victims, through increased funding for the National Road Victim Service, which supports bereaved and injured families.
The report also calls for two new bodies to be established: a Road Collision Investigation and Safety Standards Agency, to investigate crashes and inform and develop standards – and a Road Safety Board, to set targets and direct actions for the DfT, local authorities and other agencies.
Dr Suzy Charman, executive director of the Road Safety Foundation and co-author of the report, said: “Safe Roads for All is about providing roads and streets that meet the needs of everyone in society: young children on the school run; hauliers moving goods; commuters getting to work; and older adults engaging with their communities.
“It is so important that people are safe and feel safe so that we can all be better connected and enjoy the benefits of healthy and active travel.
“This alliance is calling on Government to be bold and adopt a long-term vision for safe and healthy mobility that moves us away from the status quo and drives us towards a vision of roads and streets free from death and serious injury – making road travel as safe as travel by rail and air.
“To get there, greater funding will be needed for road authorities (national and local), where the case for investment in safer road infrastructure really stacks up.”
The epmphasis on this initiative, seems to be on measures to accomodate the careless and reckless drivers, rather than direct ways to change these offenders’ behaviour.
How about a campaign to get motor manufacturers to make vehicles which are less attractive to accelerate so quickly and reach unneccesarily high speeds and encourage more leisurely and therfore, collsion-free driving.
Hugh Jones, Cheshire
+1
Long overdue. Standards are accepted on the roads that would not be tolerated in a factory.
Any KSI should be looked at and scheme produced to avoid it recurring.
Paul, Teddington
+2