Brake says millions of people are due to take part in Road Safety Week, which gets underway today with a plea for drivers to adhere to the rules of the updated Highway Code.
Road Safety Week is an annual event, organised by the road safety charity Brake, with the 2022 edition taking place 14-20 November under the theme ‘Safe Roads For All’.
To mark the start of the week, the charity is calling on drivers to read and follow the new Highway Code, which was updated earlier this year giving greater priority to people cycling and on foot.
Brake is also calling on all drivers to stay within speed limits, slow down and give more space for people in towns and on rural roads.
The plea comes on the back of analysis of the 2021 road casualties statistics, carried out by Brake, which shows that the rate of deaths and serious injuries of pedestrians, by distance travelled, increased by 19% in 2021 compared to 2020.
Meanwhile, the rate of deaths and serious injuries for cyclists, using the same metric, increased by 27%.
By comparison, there was a 2% increase across all road users and a 3% increase for car occupants.
Mary Williams OBE, Brake chief executive, said: “Road crashes devastate families who are bereaved and seriously injured.
“Road Safety Week is an opportunity for everyone – particularly drivers, and also employers, and community leaders – to come together and make roads safe for all, particularly the most vulnerable. Drivers can slow down and give people space.
“Employers can implement safe driving policies for their employees. Community leaders can work with their local authorities for measures that protect people, such as cycle paths.
“Road casualties are an appalling carnage that can and must end, through us all taking the right steps.”
Thousands of schools, communities, organisations and emergency services are expected to take part in local activities during Road Safety Week, spreading messages to improve road safety across the nation.
While I am not entirely unsympathetic to this pressure group, I sometimes wish there was an equivalent of the Advertising Standards Authority which dealt with the emanations from such groups. Probably better if interested parties consult:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-annual-report-2021/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-annual-report-2021
… which, while still committing the sins of comparing individual years, and referring to RTAs by another name, does give a better impression of where we really are. Not that it’s brilliant, but really, how much more do have I to slow down, and how much more space have I to give to pedestrians?
Fraser Andrew, STIRLING
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