Our response to the government’s Road Safety Strategy
Sarah McMonagle, Director of External Affairs at Cycling UK, said:
“The new Road Safety Strategy is a welcome and hugely important step from the government towards making our roads safer for everyone. We particularly welcome the inclusion of clear casualty reduction targets, which were scrapped in 2011. This was despite them being instrumental in halving road deaths under the previous Labour government. We’re also really pleased to see a Road Safety Investigation Branch with the aim of preventing future collisions.
“It’s also great to see the government encouraging more walking, wheeling and cycling – including by placing the internationally recognised Safe Systems Approach at the heart of the strategy. This suggests the government is serious about preventing collisions and saving lives by better managing and enforcing safer speeds.
“However, if we want safer streets, we also need to educate people on the rules and increase awareness of how the Highway Code changed four years ago. People first need to know the rules of the road before they can follow them. We urge the government to kick-off its ‘lifelong learning approach’ by investing in a major new road safety awareness campaign; the first step towards safer behaviour on our roads.”
