Road deaths over a 12 month period have fallen to below 2,000 for the first time ever according to today’s Department for Transport figures for the period up to 30th June 2010.
“This reduction is a tremendous achievement. There were 3,409 deaths in 2000, with little change over the next five years. However, the near-1,000 reduction, from 2,946 to 1,990 since 2007, is truly impressive. It is also a tribute to all those that have striven towards meeting the targets set for 2010 by the Government back in 2000.
“Britain now desperately needs a new target to galvanise road safety actions for the next decade and beyond,” says Edmund King, the AA’s president.
The one blot on these figures is a rise in deaths (1%) and casualties (4%) among cyclists.
This is disturbing, and action is needed to ensure that more young cyclists taking to the road, and older ones returning to the road, receive the right training.
There is particular concern about returnees who often think that experience as a kid on a cycle and then as a driver, adequately equips them for cycling on today’s roads.
Source : AA Press Release
