Road Safety: Second Report of Session 2012-13

In 2011, 1,901 people were killed in road accidents. This is the first annual increase in road fatalities since 2003 and a 3% increase compared to 2010. 25,023 people were killed or seriously injured, an increase of 2% from 2010 and the first annual increase since 1994.

The number of people killed or seriously injured remains lower than any year since
national records began, except for 2010. However, any increase in road deaths is cause for concern. The Transport Committee thinks that the Government should provide an explanation for these increases and reassurance that this does not mark the beginning of a worrying trend in road deaths.

The Committee found particular issues in casualty rates for young drivers and cyclists. Road accidents are the leading cause of death for young people aged 16-24. Despite assurances that the issue of young driver road safety is a priority, the Committee is not convinced that this is reflected in the road safety strategy. There are a variety of proposals which may help improve young driver road safety. The Government should review these and incorporate a targeted strategy to address young driver road safety into the Strategic Framework.

The planned update of the Strategic Framework for Road Safety in September 2012 is an
opportunity for the Government to reassess its road safety strategy. In particular, given recent road fatality increases, it should update progress against its action plan and outcomes framework. The Committee would like to see the inclusion of plans, outlined by the department, to name and shame local authorities that are under-performing on road safety, greater detail on the role of engineering to improve road safety and an outline of the Department for Transport’s efforts to provide leadership by joining up road safety work across Whitehall.