Brake's Zero In campaign has two main goals. The first is for the Government to agree to targets to eliminate serious injury and death from UK roads by 2040, with key performance indicators in place to track progress over the next 17 years. The second goal is for the Government to establish an independent road collision investigation branch whose responsibility it will be to analyse crash data with a view to reducing the number of injuries and deaths on roads.
In the early 2000s, there were road safety targets in place which allowed for the analysis of road collision data and set goals to reduce the number of fatalities on UK roads. These targets were abolished in 2010, despite them arguably being key to reducing deaths. In the years from 2000 to 2009, Brake report the number of deaths of UK roads fell by from 3,409 to 2,222, a reduction of around 35%. When the targets were abolished in 2010, the reduction began to stall. It's reported that between 2012 and 2019, the number of deaths on UK roads fell by only 1%, a stark decline from the 35% drop previously recorded. Brake are campaigning for targets to be reinstated so that data on road deaths can once again be analysed with a view to reducing the number of fatalities.
Brake are calling for the Government to set a target of zero road deaths and serious injuries by 2040, whilst also considering and encouraging the healthy movement of people. What they mean by this is that steps taken to reduce the number of cyclist or pedestrian casualties must not come at a cost to the number of people choosing active travel, which includes travel by foot or by bike. Their campaign calls for clear and measurable performance indicators which would allow progress to be tracked, including markers such as the: - percentage of urban roads that are 20mph or lower; percentage of drivers speeding on 20mph roads; percentage of drivers involved in fatalities found with illegal drugs in their system; number of drivers breathalysed in targeted checks; and percentage of drivers found to be over the drink-drive limit in random checks.
In addition, the Zero In campaign calls for the Government to set up a fully independent Road Collision Investigation Branch (RCIB) to identify the causes of road accidents. Brake suggest that the RCIB should identify and make recommendations regarding effective countermeasures to stop road deaths and injuries. It should also provide support to police in developing their forensic investigation of crashes, and advance standards and expertise in collision investigation, data recording and analysis.
Morton Fraser is a proud member of Brake's Scottish legal panel. If you or a loved one is involved in a road traffic collision, you may be entitled to make a claim for compensation to recover your losses and assist with your recovery. At Morton Fraser, our experienced team will take the time to assess your claim and help you get the compensation you are entitled to. Contact us today on 0131 247 1000 for a free, confidential chat or on our website.
