Towards the end of 2021, the Department for Transport published Reported road casualties in Great Britain, provisional estimates for year ending June 2021. Here are the key facts:
• There were 1,390 reported road deaths, a decrease of 11% compared to the year ending June 2020
• There were 119,850 casualties of all severities, a decrease of 9% compared to the year ending June 2020
• The reduction in total casualties is greater than the reduction in traffic, which decreased by 5% from the year ending June 2020
A positive result for road safety, but it might be wise to curb our optimism: these are, for now, only estimates. And, with significantly reduced traffic, we might expect disproportionately fewer incidents, owing to the inherently safer conditions on less congested roads.
As depicted in the graph, there’s a very clear correlation between lockdowns and reduced road injuries.
Percentage change of casualties compared to 2017 to 2019 average, by month and severity, Great Britain, 2020 to 2021
In any case, such a significant reduction in casualties is worth celebrating. As more UK councils adopt Vision Zero – aiming to bring road deaths and severe injuries down to zero within their area, reductions like the ones we have seen for year ending June 2021 give real credence to that vision.
Preserving the progress
What can be done to hold on to such promising progress?
Business drivers have been on the road in record low numbers – fewer than has been seen for many years. As their numbers on UK roads gradually return to pre-COVID levels, fleets have the power to ensure that the improvements we have seen in 2021 are not lost: merely an anomalous blip on a trend of road deaths and serious injuries that has remained mostly static over the last decade.
Fleets must commit to focused effort towards further strengthening safety, to prevent an immediate rise in tragic injuries on UK roads as vehicle traffic numbers normalise. Light commercial and heavy goods vehicle traffic is already significantly increased over last year. These industries are stretched extremely thin, so now is a critical time for fleet safety preparation.
There are a range of safety-boosting tools available to fleets, but with one in three breaking health and safety law by having no fleet policy in place, business driver safety is an area ripe for improvement.
At IAM RoadSmart we are passionate about improving road safety by making better drivers. We offer automated e-learning, classroom or webinar sessions, and in-car training, all aimed at giving business drivers the skills to drive safely, confidently and efficiently. If you’d like to find out how we can help you, get in touch.
