Road safety figures - more must be done to save cyclists lives

2 February 2012

Improvements in road casualty figures, issued by the Department of Transport (DfT) today, have been welcomed by the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists).

Provisional DfT figures confirm that numbers of people killed in road accidents between July and September 2011, fell to 500, a reduction of two per cent on the previous year. Road casualties fell to 55,105, down five per cent.

However, cyclists are the only road user type not to see a reduction in casualties. There were 5,466 cyclist casualties in the same period of 2010 rising slightly to 5,470 in 2011.

The long-term trend for cyclists is deeply worrying. Based on a comparison of the three quarters for both years, there has been a 17.5 per cent increase in cyclist casualties between 2007 and 2011

There were 12,373 cyclist casualties between January and September 2007, this rose to 14,540 for the same period of 2011.

IAM director of policy and research, Neil Greig, said: “It is extremely concerning that cyclists’ casualties are not reducing and this is something the government and local councils must act must act on. This will mean changes to road layouts, more cycle training and promoting better awareness among drivers.”

ENDS

Notes for Editors:

1. The IAM is the UK’s largest independent road safety charity, dedicated to improving standards and safety in driving, motorcycling and cycling. The commercial division of the IAM operates through its occupational driver training company IAM Drive & Survive. The IAM has more than 200 local volunteer groups and over 100,000 members in the UK and Ireland. It is best known for the advanced driving test and the advanced driving, motorcycling and cycling courses. Its policy and research division offers advice and expertise on road safety.

ENDS ALL

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