Road Safety Week

In 2021, there were over 1,600 deaths as a result of road traffic accidents. On average, that is over 4 people a day killed on the roads. In addition, a further 26,700 serious injuries were reported on the roads last year, that means on average every 16 minutes there is a car crash that results in someone needing medical treatment. All of these deaths and injuries were avoidable and this is what Brake are trying to campaign during the Road Safety Week which runs from 14^th to 20^th November 2022.

Brake are UK’s largest road safety activists, and their primary goal is to make more people aware of the dangers of the road and how to reduce any risk involved in travelling by car for the driver and pedestrians.

During the Road Safety Week, Brake’s main aim is to make more road users aware of how they can reduce the aforementioned figures. On an individual level, this could be simply by making sure you wear a seatbelt whilst driving, not drinking any alcohol before getting behind the wheel and not driving over the speed limit.

In terms of a larger scale movement, Brake hope that the Road Safety Week can also be used to support changes in laws or get more people working closely with their local police. For example, organisers can work with police to set up and promote a period of heightened traffic enforcement in the local area, to get the message out that illegal driving won’t be tolerated. Equally, it could be used to promote a change in the law, for example a lower drink drive limit, by conveying the message that even small amounts of alcohol can be deadly when driving.

As the vast majority of people use the roads everyday and the DVLA report that every year there are more drivers on UK roads, unfortunately the amount of people seriously injured or killed as a result of a road traffic accident is bound to increase. Unless more can be done to make people aware of the hazards of car travel, it is estimated that by 2030 there will be on average 2000 deaths a year as a direct result of using a car on the road.

If you wish to find out more or how you can get involved with the Road Safety Week please visit their website here.

Here at Ramsdens, we have a team of solicitors who can help with a road traffic claim on behalf of you or a loved one. With offices across Yorkshire, we can provide our services across the entire county. To find out if you can make a compensation claim, call us for free on 01484 821 500, email us at info@ramsdens.co.uk or submit your claim online and a member of the team will get back to you as soon as possible.