Fewer vulnerable people injured on roads

Fewer incidents of injury have been reported in 2012 than in 2011 for vulnerable road users, a new Department for Transport report reveals.

According to the new statistics, although there has been a general rise over the years, for the April-June period, more injuries were taken by motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians last year than this year.

According to the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motoring) welcomed the news, but warned that more still needs doing to prevent the steady rise of injuries in general. Reports show that:

- There were 3,210 cyclists killed or seriously injured in 2011/12 as opposed to only 2,950 in 2010/2012

- There were 5,450 motorcyclists killed or seriously injured in 2011/12, with only 5,207 in 2010/11

- There were 5,701 pedestrians killed or seriously injured in 2010/11, whereas this was only 5,970 in 2011/12

The Director of Policy and Research at the IAM had the following to say:

“In the six months before these results there were increases in the numbers killed and seriously injured.  This drop has not made up for that.  We need to do much more to turn this quarter’s figures into a trend. Repairing the roads, safety campaigns and road user awareness will save more lives.”

“The drop in road casualties is really good news but the department for transport admits that it is likely to be linked to this year’s wet weather. The government shouldn’t rely on a few months of dodgy weather to get cyclists and motorcyclists casualties down.”

This winter, the key to making these numbers drop will be to drive, ride and walk with caution on the roads, regardless of weather conditions.

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