RoSPA: National Audit Office Road Safety Report

Duncan Vernon, road safety manager for England at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), said: “We welcome the attention that this report [from the National Audit Office] places on some of the most vulnerable users of our roads – cyclists and pedestrians.

“Although tremendous progress has been made in reducing overall road casualties in recent years, we know that some groups of road users have fared better than others. And, on average eight people are still killed on Britain’s roads every day.

“It is important that we do not become complacent about road safety. We need to look for new ways to prevent road accidents and also to roll out more widely current approaches which, through analysis and evaluation, have been proven to be successful.

“For example, the evidence shows that deaths and serious injuries are significantly reduced when 30mph zones are changed to 20mph zones. Therefore, in areas where children are present, there is a strong case for reducing the limit.

“RoSPA also supports the report’s recommendations about the way casualty reduction targets are set, agreeing that separating fatalities from serious injuries and having a specific target for cyclists and pedestrians would be of value.

“The report also highlights that child pedestrians are most at risk from 3pm until 7pm, especially during the weeks after the end of British Summer Time. RoSPA has been campaigning on this issue for decades and will continue to call for a system which would bring lighter evenings all year round.

“This report comes during a crucial period for road safety as the Department for Transport is currently seeking views on a future casualty reduction strategy. Several of the recommendations in the National Audit Office report are also proposed in the DfT’s recently-published consultation.”

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