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UK Road Deaths Fall To All Time Low
Tue, 30 Jun 2009

The number of road accident deaths in the UK has reached a record low, according to government figures.

The Department for Transport statistics show that 2,538 people were killed on Britain’s roads last year - 14 per cent down on the 2,946 reported for 2007 figure and the lowest annual total since records began in 1926.

A total of 28,567 people were killed or seriously injured in 2008 - 7 per cent fewer than in 2007 - according to the stats which are based on casualties in accidents reported to the police .

It means the government has hit its target of reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured on UK roads by 40 per cent, compared with the mid-1990s average, two years earlier than expected.

However, the figures also show that number of children who died on the roads last year increased slightly year-on-year, from an all-time low of 121 in 2007 to 124 last year.

Transport Secretary Lord Adonis commented: "Every death on the roads is a terrible tragedy, but these figures show that every day last year one less person died on the roads than in 2007 and that Britain now jointly has the safest roads of any major nation in the world."

"The 40 per cent fall in deaths and serious injuries since the mid-1990s means more than 19,000 fewer deaths or serious injuries on our roads in a year, meeting a vital road safety target two years early."

"While this news is encouraging, seven people are still dying on the roads every day and we will continue to do everything we can to prevent these tragedies."

Andrew Howard, head of road safety at the AA, added: "Even taking into account the almost 1 per cent drop in traffic due to high fuel prices and recession, these figures are an excellent step in the right direction."

"If this trend continues the UK will soon restore its position as one of the safest countries in the world."
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