Brake has urged the Government to extend its ‘move fast and fix things’ motto to road safety to urgently save lives.

Brake is calling on Labour to put safety at the heart of all strategic decision-making related for transport

Newly published Department for Transport road casualty statistics reveal that 1,624 people died on roads in Britain last year, while a further 28,087 people suffered serious injuries.

Although the number of UK road deaths has seen a small decline (5%) since 2022, the figures have remained largely the same over the last five years and there’s been no significant reduction in serious injuries either, according to Brake.

It’s calling for the immediate publication of a new Road Safety Strategy, with a firm commitment to stop crashes, reduce harm and provide sufficient funding to support families bereaved by road crashes.

The Government last published a Road Safety Framework in 2011 and the strategy lasted until 2021, over which time, Britain started to see a small reduction in road casualties.

However, since the latest framework expired in 2021, more than 89,000 people have been killed or seriously injured on UK roads, and Brake says progress has stalled.

Ross Moorlock, chief executive of the road safety charity, said: “We urge the Government to ‘move fast and fix things’, as the Transport Secretary set out in her first address to the Department for Transport, to prevent another 89,000 families having to go through the sudden trauma of a devastating road crash during this parliamentary term.”

Brake, which is putting road victims at the heart of its Road Safety Week 2024 (17-23 November), has also urged the Government to put safety at the heart of all strategic decision-making related to transport, and to make a clear commitment to introducing measures that are known to save lives.

This includes the introduction of 20mph speed limits on urban roads, a new approach to the licensing system to safeguard young drivers, and a zero-tolerance approach to drink-driving.

Moorlock elaborated: “We have already seen the positive change that the introduction of a default 20mph limit in built-up areas is making in Wales, with a 32% reduction in all casualties on 20mph roads in the final three months of 2023, and a 23% reduction in deaths and serious injuries on 20mph roads in the first three months of 2024.

“We are also calling for the Government to commit to other solutions that are proven to stop crashes and save lives, such as progressive licensing for younger and new drivers, rolling out the General Safety Regulations that exist in the EU and Northern Ireland across all the UK, and reducing the drink-driving limit to almost zero.”

This November’s Road Safety Week will count the real cost of road crashes, raising awareness of the devastating toll and celebrating the work of the incredible people who support families after a road death or serious injury.

Moorlock continued: “Road casualties are not just statistics. Behind every number is a family in turmoil. A grief-stricken family trying to navigate its way through the complex procedures that often follow a road crash. Behind every number is a family whose lives have been changed forever in an instant.

“That is why this year we have put road victims at the heart of our Road Safety Week campaign, as we reveal the stories behind the numbers and call for the very highest standard of care for every road victim.”

To find out what you can do during this Road Safety Week, and what events are taking place in your area, sign up here.