Safe Speed Forums

Safe Speed issued the following PR at 10:13 this morning:

PR329: Road deaths fail to fall significantly once more

news: for immediate release

Figures published today indicate that road deaths have not fallen
significantly. In fact there has only been one significant fall in road deaths
since 1998.

Paul Smith, founder of the Safe Speed road safety campaign
(www.safespeed.org.uk) said: "The road deaths figures are the only figures that
are stable enough for accurate year on year comparisons. Hospital data recently
published in the British Medical Journal showed no reduction in people
hospitalised for ten years."

"The change in fatalities is the acid test of any change in road safety.
Fatalities haven't fallen so the roads have not got safer."

"Engineering improvements are ongoing - we know we're building safer cars. We
know we're engineering out black spots. We know we're getting better as post
crash medical care. The gains from these factors are very substantial. The
failure of fatalities to fall means that some other factor is making matters
worse. I know what that factor is - it's bad road safety policy making drivers
worse."

"DfT road safety policy has failed to save lives. Speed cameras have failed to
save lives. Speed limit reductions have failed to save lives."

"DfT is not fit for purpose and is in utter denial about the failures of their
policies."

"KSI figures from DfT are proved to be useless."

<ends>

Notes for editors
=================

Road Casualties Great Britain - main results 2005:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/d ... 611923.pdf

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

Where's all the news about these figures? I haven't heard a thing. It isn't even on Teletext.

Usually they get something up in about 20 minutes. The Safe Speed PR went over 2 hours ago, and I had the figures at about 9:40am.

WHERE'S THE NEWS?

_________________
Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

There's a PA release:

"Number of road deaths at record low"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/stor ... 19,00.html

The Mail


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/a ... ge_id=1770

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Speed limit sign radio interview. TV Snap Unhappy
“It has never been the rule in this country – I hope it never will be - that suspected criminal offences must automatically be the subject of prosecution” He added that there should be a prosecution: “wherever it appears that the offence or the circumstances of its commission is or are of such a character that a prosecution in respect thereof is required in the public interest”
This approach has been endorsed by Attorney General ever since 1951. CPS Code

http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/12/1210.asp

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Speed camera policy Kills

I think the lack of coverage is probably because the results were about the same as 2004. If deaths had gone down or up significantly it'd be newsworthy, but a news item saying "road deaths didn't really change last year" isn't something that you can really make a headline out of.

Absolutely. I got exactly that when I tried ringing around a bit.

To me, it's another massive failure in policy.

_________________
Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety