UK road deaths on the rise
There were more deaths on UK roads in 2019 than in 2010.
The annual Road Safety Performance Index from the European Transport Safety Council found that 1,926 people lost their lives on UK roads in 2019 compared to 1,909 in 2010.
Now, road safety and breakdown organisation GEM Motoring Assist is urging the UK government to put in place a comprehensive new focus on road safety.
GEM chief executive Neil Worth said: “It is vital that we all grasp the opportunity to reshape the way we use the roads. In so doing we can push road deaths into a significant and permanent decline.
“We used our cars less during lockdown, we walked and cycled more. Let’s ensure there is the support and the infrastructure in place to ensure we can continue to do that safely.
“If government passes up this rare opportunity and allows a return to business as usual after the pandemic, the consequences for safer road use are likely to be dire, with all the signs pointing to rising – not falling – casualty numbers.
“We urge the government to take a strong lead in a comprehensive new focus on safer road use. Central to this should be support for safer walking and cycling, an achievable plan for long-term reduction of transport-based CO2 emissions, more attractive schemes for car sharing and moves to enforce laws designed to support safer road use.
“This is particularly important following the frighteningly large number of speeding offences being reported as lockdowns are lifted.”
“We believe a renewed commitment to safer road transport – as well as being ‘the right thing to do’ – will win the support of communities across the country.”
