Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership supports National Road Victim month 2024 to highlight devastating impact of road crashes

Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership is proud to announce its support for National Road Victim Month 2024 – an annual campaign highlighting the staggering number of people needlessly killed and injured in crashes on the UK’s roads.

The campaign, organised by RoadPeace, one of the national charities for road crash victims, aims to raise awareness about the fact that:

• Every day in the UK, five people are killed and around 80 are seriously injured, on average, in road collisions
• Since records began in 1926, over 500,000 people have been killed in UK road crashes – far exceeding the 375,000 UK citizens killed due to warfare during the same period
• The routine daily activity of driving results in more fatalities annually in the UK than both murder and terrorism combined
• In 2022 alone, 1,766 people were reported killed and 141,560 people were reported injured in collisions on UK roads

In 2022, in Warwickshire, 19 people were killed and 1093 people were injured in collisions on the county’s roads. 

National Road Victim Month, which was established in 1998 by RoadPeace, also recognises the work of the emergency services, who respond to road crashes every day, and highlights the mental and physical impact that road crashes have on them.

August was chosen to honour Diana Princess of Wales, who was killed in a road crash on 31 August 1997, and Bridget Driscoll, the UK’s first road crash victim, who was killed on 17 August 1896, in Crystal Palace, London.

At Bridget Driscoll’s inquest, the coroner reportedly said he hoped that “such a thing would never happen again.”  Yet, tragically, since then UK road deaths have far exceeded half a million.

Philip Seccombe, Police and Crime Commissioner for Warwickshire and Chair of Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership said: “The devastating  and far reaching effects of losing someone close to you as the result of a collision cannot be underestimated, it is vital that those directly affected receive long-term, specialist support.

“That’s why I commissioned BRAKE, the road safety charity, to provide the county’s own Independent Road Victim Advisor (IRVA).  The IRVA can offer the practical and emotional support that families need in these circumstances.

“Feedback shows this is a hugely valued service, leading the way nationally.  Ultimately though, we wish it wasn’t necessary.  That’s why road safety partners continue their efforts to reduce the numbers killed or seriously injured on our roads, with the hope of eliminating the hurt and suffering caused by collisions.”

Those who have died in collisions will never be forgotten and Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership leads a memorial service every November on the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.  The service is open to anyone to collectively remember the lives lost and injured on our roads.

The partnership has also established a permanent memorial to road traffic victims at Hartshill Hayes Country Park that can be visited throughout the year. 

Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership believes death and injury on our roads is preventable and there is still much work to do if road safety partners are to reach the target of reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads in Warwickshire by 50% by 2030.  However, road safety is a shared responsibility and the public too must play their part by always driving legally and safely according to the conditions to keep themselves and others safe on the roads.

Nick Simmons, CEO of RoadPeace, the national charity for road crash victims, said: “A shocking five people are killed and 80 are seriously injured, on average, on the UK’s roads each day. These crashes are especially heartbreaking because most of them can be prevented.

“Road collisions shatter lives and families, leaving behind a trail of devastation. For more than 30 years, RoadPeace has supported countless families through unimaginable trauma and grief following a road crash. They didn’t ever think that they would be a crash victim, but tragically, the reality is that it can happen to anyone.

“We are very grateful to Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership for supporting National Road Victim Month 2024 and for helping RoadPeace to raise awareness about the many needless deaths and injuries that occur every single day on our roads.”