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Graham Hurdle blog: 12 May - Safer roads get my vote
Date: 12 May 2015
The election campaign is finally over, and we've heard all sorts of promises about the deficit, borrowing, the NHS, benefits, economic growth and a whole host of other headline grabbing issues.
But which party will do the most for road safety? The reality is, none of us probably knows, because it isn't a topic that captures the headlines in the run up to a general election
Yet according to the 'Reported road casualties Great Britain: annual report 2013' published in September 2014 (available on www.gov.uk) we killed about 142 people on our roads and there were 16,107 reported road casualties of all severities each month.
The devastation this causes the families and friends of those involved in these accidents is one thing. The strain it places on the emergency services, the NHS and other support agencies is another.
Every one of us will occasionally drive past the scene of a serious accident and see the horror for ourselves. But how often do we consider the length of time, resource and money that will be required for the police investigation to be completed, the vehicle repaired, any damage to the roadside furniture to be repaired and so on.
Just imagine how much could be saved by the NHS, social services, police, highways agency and other emergency services if relevant, and appropriate, policies were put in place by the Government. The cost to UK businesses with traffic hold ups, and the misery to the families and friends of those involved, could be seriously reduced with the will to change and the desire to alter the long standing stagnation of Government policy on Road Safety.
So I hope we will see road safety appear more visibly on the political road map and that politicians and policy makers will start thinking outside the box to make a real difference to the number of deaths and casualties on our roads. Anyone that seeks to tackle this problem in the UK would certainly get my vote. Sadly in the run up to the election, not one political party seemed to mention it.
The upshot is, if nothing gets done by Government, UK businesses will need to take their own actions to reduce the number of KSI (killed and seriously injured) for their at-work drivers.
If you are a company director, remember - the overall cost of an accident is about 10 times the cost of repairing the bent metal. This could be substantially reduced through a risk management programme, as well as ensuring the safety and well-being of all of your staff out there driving, and risking their lives, to help your business grow.
