Action needed now to make our roads safer

摘要

Every one of us knows someone who has been killed or maimed in a brutal road crash. In the past 10 years alone more than 30,000 people have died on Britain's roads. Road crashes bleed away 1.5% of GDP - more than we spend on primary schools, more than we spend on GPs. Our roads need a safety overhaul. International research says Britain can do much more on safe road design, particularly on roads outside major towns where two-thirds of road deaths occur. Serious crashes can drop by more than half when roads are given a safety makeover - for example, safe crossings, crash barriers at the roadside, turning bays at junctions and good hazard markings. Britain's road safety professionals know all this only too well. But there has been a lack of leadership to communicate the sheer scale of what can be done to the public, policy makers, councillors and senior decision taking professionals. Many governments across the world are preparing new road safety strategies for the next decade.