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Graham Hurdle's blog: 15 September - Extra effort needed as figures show rise in road casualties

Date: 15 September 2016

Graham Hurdle is managing director of E-Training World

Recent figures show a 1.9% increase in the number of people killed or seriously injured on Britain's roads, with 1780 people killed and a further 22,830 seriously injured in the year ending March 2016.

It is believed that a third of road casualties are work-related. This equates to a shocking 11 at-work drivers killed each week.

Until 2011, the trend had been positive with year on year reductions. Yet since 2013 Department for Transport figures show a 6% increase in the number of fatalities, which has risen from a low of 1676.

It's a stark reminder that this problem will not go away without significant effort and investment. Austerity measures and budget cuts saw the Government turn its back on road safety, and the rising statistics speak for themselves. It's no surprise, in my mind, that we see the figures rising post recession as the public profile of safe driving has all but vanished.

Yet what is so upsetting about every casualty or fatality is that each one of them could be avoided. Crashes involving fatalities on motorways and A roads increased by 3%. If we could educate drivers to not follow others so closely and leave more space, to focus on the road ahead rather than on their mobile phones or other distractions, and to learn how to pick up on vital clues to potential hazards, many of these would never have occurred.

More than half of fatalities were on roads with a speed limit of over 40mph (i.e. non-built-up areas), which points towards the use of inappropriate speed. A speed awareness course could go a long way to highlight to drivers the risk they are placing themselves, and others, in. Ironically, there was a 4% decrease on roads with a speed limit below 40 mph (built-up roads), which shows the message is getting through when, perhaps, the dangers of speeding are more obvious.

If we believe the Government will look at these figures and decide its time to renew its investment in road safety, I suggest we think again. There are far too many other distractions, or should I say 'excuses', to help them justify their continued lack of focus.

But companies can take action, at very little cost, to help stop these casualties and fatalities. Driver training can, and will, change driver behaviours resulting in less accidents - and it can be done quickly and efficiently online.

There are many companies making a real difference by making driver safety a priority, however more can always be done. If you haven't taken any action yet, think about these latest statistics and please make sure one of your company drivers doesn't become part of them.



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