Campaigner's warning as road casualties on Cambridgeshire up almost 10%
The latest stats have been released at the start of Road Safety Week
A campaigner in Cambridgeshire has said trying to improve safety on our roads isn't just down to drivers.
It comes during road safety week as government figures found a nine per cent rise in the number of people killed or seriously injured between 2021 and 2022.
One place is Puddock Road near Warboys, where Marion Bunyan, her daughter Jennifer and Jennifer's unborn child Erin Chatten died in 2020.
Earlier this year, a coroner concluded they died due to a road traffic collision when the car they were driving in entered a water-filled ditch.
Graham Chappell is from the Fenland Road Safety Campaign:
"In the Fens we have an additional problem because of the way the soil can rise and fall, and this leads to unevenness and damage to the carriageway, probably to a greater extent than other parts of the country," he said.
"There is an element to do with driver behaviour but on rural roads, per mile travelled, you're 11 times more likely to die as a driver or passenger than on urban roads and motorways."
Mr Chappell feels progress to improving the standard of Cambridgeshire's roads is being made, but only at a cost.
"Progress has been made in a number of locations although at times, it's taken further fatalities to bring home the seriousness of the risk at particular locations and to get the investment required to install safety barriers and so on," he added.
"The squeeze on local authority finances continues and will do so for the foreseeable future.
"It's difficult to see how we can get highways departments in this area getting ahead of the problem."
Cambridgeshire County Council, which oversee the county's roads, said it takes road safety seriously and is developing more active travel schemes, which aim to encourage more walking and cycling, across the county.
On the issues with Puddock Road, a county council spokesperson said it wants to make this road safer and is looking at options to do so.
"There are many complexities at Puddock Road from a highways point of view," said the spokesperson.
"In the past, we have looked at closing the road and various traffic management options.
"We are now looking at physical options, such as barriers, and this work is ongoing."
Nearly 2,000 people lost their lives on UK roads in 2022 according to Road safety charity, Brake, which is releasing the stats as part of Road Safety Week.
Both deaths and serious injuries caused by driver speed rose significantly last year, according to the new analysis.
The latest figures show:
- 1,766 people died on UK roads in 2022, a 10% increase
- 303 people died in crashes caused by drivers breaking the speed limit, up 20%
- Speed is a contributory factor in 25% of all fatal crashes
- 92% of drivers agreed speed limits are essential for safe roads, yet 34% say they break the speed limit
- 39% of drivers agreed the speed limit on roads in built-up areas should be lowered to 20mph
Brake is releasing the survey results at the start of its biggest annual road safety campaign, Road Safety Week, which runs from 19 to 25 November.
The charity is calling on everyone to join a national conversation about speed, to raise awareness of the dangers of excessive and inappropriate speed, and challenge why so many people still think it is acceptable to drive faster than the speed limit.
Road Safety Week began yesterday (19 November) to coincide with the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, for which people across the world lit candles in memory of people killed or seriously injured on roads.
Brake worked with local councils across the UK to get public buildings and other landmarks lit up in yellow, to show support for road victims.
This year, more than 3,400 schools, communities, organisations and emergency services, together representing more than 17 million people, have signed up to take part in Road Safety Week.
This is by organising local activities, sharing important road safety messages and posing the question: 'If five people die on UK roads every day, why do we still think it is ok to speed?'
Ross Moorlock, interim CEO at Brake, said:
“Road death is sudden. It's traumatic. It sends shockwaves across families, schools, workplaces and communities.
"This year, we have already supported more than 1500 people affected by road crashes through our National Road Victim Service.
“Today, five people will be killed on our roads. Tomorrow, another five won’t make it home to their families and so on, and so on, until we all say 'enough!’ and start taking responsibility for each other’s safety on the road.
“The speed we choose to drive at can mean the difference between life and death. Our speed dictates whether we can stop in time to avoid a crash, and the force of impact if we can't stop.
"This Road Safety Week, whoever you are, and however you travel, I urge you to join the conversation and talk about speed. Please talk to as many people as you can to find out why, when five people die on our roads every day, so many of us still choose to drive too fast.”