Road deaths continue to fall as fleets win praise

Road safety charity, Brake, has praised fleets for their ability to improve road safety after Government figures showed that deaths on our roads are reducing. New figures released by the Department of Transport (DfT) have shown that almost 2,000 people were killed on our roads from September 2012-13, a two per cent drop from the previous year; when including cases of serious injury, casualties fell to 23,380, a six per cent decrease year-on-year. It is estimated that up to one-in-three people who are killed or seriously injured on our roads are driving to work at the time, around 11 people per week. The figures are particularly positive when compared to 2003, when nearly twice as many people were killed on our roads, around 22 at work drivers per week. Laura Woods, from Brake, said: 'Every casualty on our roads is a needless, preventable tragedy, so we must aim for zero because no death or serious injury is acceptable. Companies that employ drivers have an important role to play in reducing these figures further. 'Even simple measures can have a huge impact on keeping the roads safer for us all, such as educating drivers on road risks and empowering drivers to make safe choices by, for example, setting realistic scheduling and journey planning to ensure drivers have no need to break speed limits. Brake applauds the great work we know so many fleets are doing.î The figures showed a five per cent fall of fatalities or serious accidents on motorways and 'A' roads, and a seven per cent fall on minor roads, although motorcyclist and cyclist deaths were up one per cent and eight per cent respectively. Woods said: 'Road crashes are violent, sudden events that tear apart families and whole communities. They are also a huge economic burden and preventable through investment in education, engineering and enforcement. 'Brake welcomes this decrease in deaths and serious injuries, and we urge the Government and all road users to continue doing what we can to reduce these figures even further. 'We urge all fleets to find out how they could work to protect their drivers and the wider communities in which they operate by signing up to Brake's Fleet Safety Forum, which shares and promotes best practice in fleet safety.î