The UK is one of the EU countries making the "slowest
progress" towards targets to reduce road deaths, according to a
new report from the European Transport Safety Council[1].
Commenting on today's report, Jason Wakeford,
spokesman for Brake, the road safety charity,
said: "Reductions in the numbers killed on UK roads
have stagnated in recent years. Road deaths fell by just 1.4%
between 2010 and 2016 - way short of the EU target. All other EU
countries, with the exception of Lithuania, Malta and Sweden,
have made better progress and urgent action is needed.
"It's a disgrace that there are currently no UK targets for
reducing the number of road deaths and we are calling for a UK
target to be set as a priority for the Government.
"We need the creation of a Road Collision Investigation
Branch, to help better understand road crashes so that lessons
can be learned to prevent future deaths, alongside extra police
resource for traffic enforcement.
"Brake is also calling on the European Commission to
introduce new vehicle safety standards, including mandating
Intelligent Speed Adaptation - helping drivers stay within speed
limits."
ENDS
[1] The EU has set a target to reduce road deaths by 50%
between 2010-2020
ETSC Report: Ranking EU Progress on Road Safety - 11th 11th
Road Safety Performance Index Report (http://etsc.eu/wp-content/uploads/PIN_ANNUAL_REPORT_2017-final.pdf)
