Press Release - Improving road safety for pedestrians and
cyclists in Great Britain
8 May 2009
A report today by the National Audit Office
highlights the fall in the number of deaths among both pedestrians
and cyclists since the mid-1990s though more remains to be done to
improve their safety. The number of deaths among pedestrians has
fallen by 36 per cent but Great Britain is some way behind some of
the better performing nations, particularly for child pedestrians.
The number of cyclists killed or seriously injured fell from 2000
to 2004, but rose again by 11 per cent from 2004 to 2007, despite
the amount of cycling staying broadly constant.
The Department for Transport’s budget for
its own road safety activities in 2008-9 was £36 million. This
funding is not however directed at specific road users and many
other bodies contribute to road safety, making it difficult to
determine the effectiveness of the Department’s specific
contribution.
The DfT has, however, taken a number of
relevant measures to reduce the number of deaths and serious
injuries amongst pedestrians and cyclists, including a general
strategy for road safety which has provided a focus for other
organisations working in this field. It has also developed media
campaigns under the Think! Campaign to change the beliefs and
attitudes of road users.
The Department is on track to meet the
targets in its Road Safety Strategy for 2010. Today’s report points
out that the underlying picture is complex. There is a slower rate
of decline in fatalities (18 per cent) than serious injuries (37
per cent) compared with the average between 1994 and 1998. To
increase transparency, the Department should set separate targets
for those killed and seriously injured and for different road user
groups.
To meet its road safety objectives, the DfT
needs to work with a number of different organisations. Generally
it has a good working relationship with them, but its approach up
to now has been informal relying on personal contacts built up by
staff over time, and it needs to develop a strategy for managing
these relationships.
Tim Burr, head of the National Audit Office, said
today:
“Making roads safer for pedestrians
and cyclists is a key element in encouraging people to walk and
cycle more. While their safety has improved generally, some are
more vulnerable, such as child pedestrians from deprived areas. The
Department for Transport needs to draw on its research programme
and the lessons learned from the projects that it funds to find
ways of improving safety, especially for groups most at
risk.”
Notes for Editors:
- In 2007 over 30,000 pedestrians and over 16,000 cyclists
were injured with 646 pedestrians and 136 cyclists killed. The NAO
estimate that casualties for these two groups cost the economy over
£3.4 billion in addition to the inevitable distress and health
problems for the victims and their families.
-
While Great Britain was fifth overall
internationally for the least number of road deaths per head of
population, it is only eleventh highest out of 24 Organisation for
Economic Cooperation and Development nations (for which data was
available in 2006) for pedestrian deaths. For child pedestrian
deaths it ranks seventeenth, some way behind the best. The UK was
fourth highest out of 14 European nations in 2006 for the least
number of cyclist deaths per head of population.
- In addition to its general strategy and Think! Campaign,
the Department through its research programme has developed a good
understanding of those groups of pedestrians and cyclists which are
most at risk; and it has funded innovative road safety
projects, helping to generate useful lessons for local highway
authorities.
-
The Department for Transport published its
paper “A safer way: Consultation on Making Britain’s Roads the
safest in the world” on 21 April 2009.
- Press notices and reports are available from the date of
publication on the NAO website, which is at http://www.nao.org.uk/. Hard
copies can be obtained from The Stationery Office on 0845 702
3474.
-
The Comptroller and Auditor General, Tim
Burr, is the head of the National Audit Office which employs some
850 staff. He and the NAO are totally independent of
Government. He certifies the accounts of all Government
departments and a wide range of other public sector bodies; and he
has statutory authority to report to Parliament on the economy,
efficiency and effectiveness with which departments and other
bodies have used their resources.
Press Notice 29/09
All enquiries to Phil Groves, NAO Press Office:
Tel: 020 7798 5339
Mobile: 07770 678 477