Rural Road Safety Must Be Prioritised, Says Stuart Anderson MP
Action must be taken to improve rural road safety, Stuart Anderson MP has said. He has called on the government to intensify efforts to improve road safety in rural areas, after it emerged that ten times as many people die on rural roads than on the motorways.
The call has been made as part of Road Safety Week, which runs from 17 to 23 November 2024 - having begun on the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims on Sunday 17 November. Organised by road safety charity Brake, this year’s theme is ‘After the Crash – Every road victim counts.’ It aims to raise awareness of the devastating toll of road crashes and celebrate those who support families after road death or serious injury.
The call follows Stuart's recent meeting with Morville Speed Group alongside the Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion and local council candidate Dominic Stanford, who has been championing these issues. During their conversation, residents underlined the real impact this is having on their village.
Statistics published on 26th September 2024 record that, in 2023, reported road collisions resulted in 1,624 fatalities, a decline of just 5% compared to 2022. Although rural roads carry 44% of road traffic, they account for some 59% of road fatalities. Research also shows 60% of all serious and fatal collisions involving young male car drivers happened on rural roads - with 54 young people injured every week.
Stuart has called for rural roads to be prioritised in the government’s new Road Safety Strategy, which Ministers at the Department for Transport are working. In a letter to the Transport Secretary, Stuart has called for greater investment in rural road safety interventions by continuing the Safer Roads Fund, which was set up by the previous government.
Under the previous government, over £180 million had been provided through the programme to improve England’s most dangerous – most of which are rural. Some of the interventions made to date have included improved signage, safer pedestrian crossings, and better designed junctions.
Stuart is also calling for action to be taken to tackle excessive noise pollution, which often cause real misery to local communities and result in children struggling to get a good night’s sleep and hard-working people’s lives made more stressful.
In addition, Stuart has urged the government to adopt Brake’s suggestion of providing sustainable funding and parity of care for road victims and their families. He additionally endorsed the ‘Helpful Hazards’ initiative from Think!, the UK government's flagship road safety campaign. It provides tips and advice on driving safely on country roads in a bid to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads.
Stuart Anderson MP said:
“Every year more than 1,000 people die on rural roads – ten times as many than on the motorways. I am determined to change this for the better. Organised by road safety charity Brake, Road Safety Week is an ideal opportunity to raise awareness of the devastating toll of road crashes and the need to better support victims and their families. I am encouraged that the Government intends to publish a new Road Safety Strategy. Given the disproportionate impact on rural communities, I hope that country roads will feature prominently in this strategy and provide greater investment for rural road safety interventions, for example, by continuing the Safer Roads Fund"
Brake’s vision is to stop road crashes, reduce harm and ensure every road victim gets the support they need, for as long as they need it. More than 1,500 families sought help from Brake’s National Road Victim Service in 2023. The Service provides emotional and practical support to anyone affected by road death and catastrophic, life-changing injuries, and receives no funding from central government. Schools, organisations, campaigners, and individuals are invited to take part in Road Safety Week by signing up at www.brake.org.uk/road-safety-week.
