Speeding problem cannot be ignored

Detailed road casualty figures demonstrate that speeding is a serious problem on Britain’s roads, particularly among young men, says the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.

Speed-related factors (exceeding the speed limit or travelling too fast for the conditions) were reported in relation to 211 deaths of 16-25-year-old men on Britain's roads in 2008 – accounting for 41 per cent of road fatalities in this group. Across all road users, speed-related factors were cited in relation to 586 road deaths – accounting for 25 per cent of fatalities on Britain’s roads.

The Department for Transport’s report into the contributory factors to road accidents in Britain in 2008 also shows that continuing efforts to encourage drivers and riders to undergo refresher training are needed. Four of the five most frequently-reported contributory factors were a driver or rider error or reaction.

Failing to look properly was once again the most commonly reported factor in accidents of all severities (being cited in 37 per cent of accidents – up from 35 per cent in 2007).

Loss of control was the most commonly reported factor in fatal accidents (reported in 32 per cent of accidents which resulted in a death).

The other contributory factors in the top five across all severities of road accident were: failing to judge other person’s path or speed; careless, reckless or in a hurry; and poor turn or manoeuvre.

Overall, the number of people killed on Britain’s roads reached a record low in 2008. A total of 2,538 lives were lost (down from 2,946 in 2007). There were 26,034 serious injuries and 202,333 slight injuries. Disappointingly, the number of child deaths rose from 121 in 2007 to 124 in 2008.

Kevin Clinton, RoSPA head of road safety, said: “Despite the very welcome drop in road deaths and injuries, these figures continue to show that basic driving skills and attitudes are behind most road deaths. It is clear that we must continue our efforts to encourage drivers to watch their speed and we must state clearly that road accidents caused by a driver or rider error, whether that is failing to look properly, failing to judge another person’s speed or losing control, are preventable.

“Even though the number of deaths and injuries on our roads has fallen, there are still too many lives devastated by road accidents.

“We all need to maintain our driving skills and RoSPA recommends that everyone takes refresher training.”

RoSPA's mission is to save lives and reduce injuries.

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