Road fatality figures make grim reading
Provisional government figures show there were 1,695 road deaths in Great Britain during 2022, a year-on-year rise of nine per cent.
GEM Motoring Assist chief executive Neil Worth said: “These disappointing figures show how much needs to be done if we are ever to see sustained, long-term reductions in the number of people killed and seriously injured on the UK’s roads.
“GEM is calling for the reintroduction of national casualty reduction targets as a way of focusing everyone’s attention on such an important issue. We would also like to see more frequent reporting of casualty data so that we know at any one time whether the picture is improving or deteriorating.
“We have seen no appreciable improvements in the national road safety picture for more than a decade now. We continue to be worried that the long-term reduction in road policing resources is connected with our inability to continue the steady and sustained casualty reductions we witnessed in the first decade of this century.
“These figures highlight that men – and in particular young men – are most at risk from being killed or seriously injured in a road collision. We urge the government to ensure its messages target this group and set out the risks they face and the risks they can pose to others. The only acceptable number of road deaths is zero.”
