Road safety is continually compromised
Posted on in Business News , Cycles News , Political News
Cycling UK released coverage around the continued debates concerned with victims of road crime and the justice system in place.
The need and importance of a road safety review was acknowledged four years ago in May 2014 when Chris Grayling, Justice Secretary MP, announced the Government's intention to launch a review to make the UK's roads safer.
Since the Government announced the pressing intention to explore road traffic offenses and sentencing in May, 2014, there have been 1800 pedestrians who have died on British roads. Over 90% of these deaths are from collisions with motor vehicles. According to research conducted by Cycling UK, six out of seven motorists involved in collisions resulting in the death of a cyclist or pedestrian avoid going to jail, with the driver losing their licence in only one in three cases.
The Department for Transport released an annual report in 2017 stating that there were 1,792 reported road deaths in 2016. This death toll was a 4% increase from 2015 and the highest annual death total since 2011. Based on these statistics the report concluded that, although the death toll from road accidents increased between 2015 and 2016, there has been a statistically significant decrease in the number of casualties of all severities in road traffic between the two years. The report covered a number of influences that drive road causalities including:
- The distance people travel
- The mix of transport modes used
- Behaviours of drivers, riders and pedestrians
- Mix of groups of people using the road
- External effects such as weather
In 2018, a debate brought by MPs Ruth Cadbury and John Lamont discussed road justice and the legal framework.
Duncan Dollimore, Cycling UK's head of campaigns said:
"Today we heard an hour and a half response debate from MPs concerns about the victims of road crime and how the current justice system is failing to deliver just and safe outcomes."
The government's response to the debate was to reprise the old announcement made in October 2017 stating an increase sentencing for two offences: causing death by driving offences and causing serious injury by careless driving. The government failed to answer why the promised road traffic review from 2014 has yet to be fulfilled.
Cycling UK says, "This continued delay to promised road offences review lets down victims and compromises road safety."