National Audit Office Report calls for improved road safety measures

11/05/2009

A new report issued by the National Audit Office has called for highway authorities in the UK to invest more in improving road safety for pedestrians and cyclists in particular.

The review used information from various sources to examine trends in incidents of serious injury and death amongst road users. Overall the report contained some encouraging news, with deaths and serious injuries amongst road users having fallen by over a third between 1994 and 2007.

However, behind those headline figures the findings were not so good for cyclists, with an 11% rise in deaths and serious injuries for cyclists in only three years (2004- 2007).

Pedestrians and cyclists are among the most vulnerable road users, having less physical protection than those travelling within vehicles. The report showed that there is a higher risk of death or serious injury by distance travelled than for any other type of transport (except travel by motorbike).

Of particular interest to those working with head injuries, the report suggested that "serious injuries" are not always recorded correctly, with over 40% of pedestrian casualties at hospitals not being recorded, and with the police often underestimating the seriousness of injuries in their reporting systems.

The recommendations in the report include a call for better monitoring of casualty numbers amongst different road user groups, wider adoption of 20mph zones in built up areas and a new strategy to encourage the Department of Transport to work more closely with road safety support groups.

The full report is available to download at the NAO website: www.nao.org.uk/publications.aspx

« Back to news « Back to news Back To Top