What do they say in the finance world? ‘Past performance is no guarantee of future results.’
The same, unfortunately, tragically, could be said of road casualty figures. After a decline every year since 2003 in the number of people killed on Great Britain’s roads there has now been an increase.
In 2010, 1,850 people died. Last year that figure had grown to 1,901.
The number of people killed or seriously injured also rose – from 24,510 to 25,023.
Overall, including those people only slightly hurt, there was a slight drop in casualties: from 208,648 to 203,950.
The change cannot be accounted for by a rise in traffic as the volume in 2011 (303.3 billion miles) was only marginally up on the previous year (303.2 billion miles).
It is notable that car drivers and passengers make up less than half of those killed with pedestrians in particular also paying a heavy price in terms of lives lost. There was a particularly stark rise in those on foot being killed, up 12% to 453.
But why are more pedestrians dying in greater numbers? Is it due to more and more people being distracted by using mobile phones and listening to music? Most of these deaths will have been on urban roads managed by local authorities, the same local authorities for whom central government has removed casualty reduction targets and slashed road safety budgets. The concern is that there is a direct link between these factors.
While one should treat a single year’s data with caution these figures are sobering. Clearly casualty reduction is not a one way street.
“Is it due to more and more people being distracted by using mobile phones and listening to music?”
I suspect it may be and I think car drivers should slow down and play more attention rather than using mobile phones and listening to music.
I suspect you are right. Actually you are right. Incidences of mobile phone use at the wheel are just as high today as they were when the law was introduced. At least that is the indication given by 2009 figures which seem to be the latest available.
http://assets.dft.gov.uk/statistics/releases/seatbelt-mobile-phone-use-surveys-2009-results/mobile-use-drivers.pdf
I am sure you are supportive of our calls for these drivers to be penalised.
What figures do you have for the number of cyclists, pedestrians etc. carrying out similar behaviour?
The loss of human lives the numbers of disabled people, the need for the the related medical care and the overall cost to society have reached an alarming level. A silent epidemic is ravaging our country, with the number of people being crippled or maimed rising steadily.