Road Safety Awareness Week 2022: "Carnage on roads in South Wales must end"
People across Wales are said to be at 'grave risk', according to Road Safety charity, Brake
Last updated 9th Jun 2024
The road safety charity, Brake, has launched its annual awareness week - and this year, is calling for the "carnage" on our roads here in the South West to end.
Road Safety Awareness Week this year focuses on 'Safe Roads for All' - especially as it was only earlier this year that the Highway Code changed, to give more priority to cyclists and pedestrians.
Stats in South Wales and in roads across Wales
Across South Wales, Brake are encouraging us all to think of other road users, and to stay safe the whole year round - and have compiled these stats released by the Government:
- The number of people killed or seriously injured on roads increased by 25% in 2021 from 2020, compared to 14% in Britain
- 1 in 4 road deaths (353 out of 1,363) involved cyclists or pedestrians - an increase of 5% between 2020 and 2021
- 43% of deaths and serious injuries (267 out of 617) involved cyclists on roads with speed limits of 30mph or less - that's 13 times the number on roads with speed limits of 20mph or less
- 1 in 5 road deaths and serious injuries (280 out of 1363) involved motorcycles - with a 20% increase between 2020 and 2021, compared to a 16% increase in Britain
Nationally, Government figures show a post-pandemic increase in road deaths and injuries in Britain in 2021 compared with 2020, with 1,558 deaths on roads in 2021, a 7% increase compared with 2020.
There were 25,892 serious injuries, meaning for every death there were more than 16 serious injuries - according to the data compiled for Brake with information from the Department for Transport.
Road victim, Carol Davies, 55, from Pontypool, Wales, received support from Brake’s National Road Victim Service after Carol's daughter Becky, 19, was killed in a head-on collision on 2 January 2020. Carol and her husband were severely injured. The other driver was convicted of causing death by careless driving.
Carol said: "If we can save one other life and another family having to endure the trauma from a road crash by campaigning for safer roads then we've helped make a difference."
The United Nations target is a reduction of 50% in deaths and serious injuries on roads by 2030, yet casualty reduction in Britain in recent years has been occurring at a slower rate than other European nations, and has now increased.
Mary Williams OBE, chief executive of Brake, said: “The carnage on roads, that takes lives indiscriminately, devastates families, and causes appalling injuries, must end. No death or serious injury on roads is acceptable.
"Brake's National Road Victim Service sees the devastation caused by road crashes, which strike at the heart of families. We can and must all work together to stop these appalling tragedies and make our roads safe for all.
"We are appealing to everyone, particularly drivers, employers and communities, to shout out for Safe Roads for All in Road Safety Week and every week. Whether you are a driver slowing down, an employer introducing more safe driving policies, or a community working with a local authority for a 20mph limit, we can all make a difference.
The charity is appealing for schools, communities, and employers to get involved and shout out for safer roads by signing up for a free Road Safety Week action pack. It also gives ideas about how to fundraise for Brake’s National Road Victim Service, which supports 1,000 bereaved and catastrophically injured road victims a year who are facing the shock and devastation of the death or terrible injury of a loved one.
Road Safety Week is organised by Brake, the road safety charity and sponsored by Arval UK, DHL Supply Chain and VisionTrack. It supports the Department for Transport’s THINK! campaign.
You can find out more about Brake and this year's Road Safety Awareness Week here.