News
Today marks the start of a month-long campaign highlighting the staggering number of people killed and injured on UK roads.
National Road Victim Month (August) puts the spotlight on the fact that five people are killed and around 80 people are seriously injured every day in a road traffic collision.
Campaign founders RoadPeace also show support for bereaved families and honour the emergency services who respond to crashes day in and day out.
In South Yorkshire alone, 235 people died in a road crash between 2018 and 2023 – an average of around 40 deaths every year. A further 4,758 were seriously injured.
South Yorkshire Deputy Mayor Kilvinder Vigurs, who is Chair of the South Yorkshire Safer Roads Partnership (SYSRP), said: “National Road Victim Month is a poignant reminder to us all about how many lives are lost and how many families and friends are torn apart because of crashes on our roads.
“Our thoughts, as always, are with those families who must navigate life without their loved ones, and the cruel and painful way in which their lives were taken.
“I urge everyone to spend some time thinking about road crash victims and to remember that every day, families are receiving that knock on the door to tell them that someone they love is never coming home.”
Launched in 1998, August was chosen as the designated month for the annual campaign in memory of Princess Diana, who was killed in a car crash on 31 August, 1997 (along with her chauffeur and partner), as well as Bridget Driscoll, the first pedestrian to be killed by a car on 17 August, 1896.
The coroner is reported to have said at Bridget Driscoll’s inquest that he hoped “such a thing would never happen again”. Yet since records began in 1926, more than 500,000 people have been killed on the roads in Great Britain.
RoadPeace President and Founder, Brigitte Chaudhry said: “We want to remember all who have lost their lives prematurely or been injured in a crash.
“But we want their memories to be the motivation for bringing an end to all preventable cruel road deaths and injuries, so that we do not have new victims to remember in future.”
The South Yorkshire Safer Roads Partnership is currently working towards a Safe System approach to road casualty reduction which sees every crash as preventable.
Partners have collectively signed up to the Vision Zero ambition to end all death and serious injury on our roads.
Kilvinder added: “Our current approach accepts that humans will make mistakes on the road and collisions will always happen.
“But if we all take responsibility for road safety, whatever our role, we can reduce the likelihood of a crash leading to fatal or serious injuries.
“Whether we design, enforce, maintain, educate or travel on our roads, we all have a part to play in saving lives and stopping innocent people from being hurt.
“Vision Zero is the only acceptable target.”
RoadPeace is the national charity for road crash victims in the UK.
The charity provides information and support services to people bereaved or seriously injured in road crashes and engages in evidence-based policy and campaigning work to fight for justice for victims and reduce road danger.
Find out more here: www.roadpeace.org
