Roads throughout the country have been highlighted in a new study from the European Road Assessment Programme (Euro- RAP) which rates roads for risk and also shows how low cost measures have dramatically reduced serious accidents.
It estimates that at least 20 lives and 180 serious injuries have been saved in just two years on 13 roads that have had improvements carried out.
The AA Motoring Trust is calling for a national effort led by Government and local authorities to apply similar measures to all 370 British roads identified by EuroRAP as posing a higher than average risk to people using them. A total of 830 were rated.
John Dawson, director of The AA Motoring Trust and EuroRAP chairman, said: 'It is easy to forget the true death toll on the roads because the accidents are scattered and usually involve only one or two people. Yet there are many people alive today thanks to the relatively inexpensive changes made on the roads we have identified.
'It is right that billions of pounds are being spent on railway safety, which works out at around £10 million for every life saved. But we can save hundreds more people every year on the roads for just a fraction of that, and deliver massive savings to the NHS into the bargain. Drivers clearly have a responsibility to drive sensibly, but a moment's inattention should not carry the death sentence.'
A-roads present drivers with the greatest dangers. Among the most lethal are trees and lampposts sited close to the carriageway edge and junctions where simple driver misjudgements can lead to brutal side impacts.
The AA Motoring Trust-led EuroRAP programme includes governments and motoring organisations from across Europe. It is financially supported by The AA Motoring Trust, The European Commission, The FIA Foundation for the Automobile and Society, and Toyota Motor Europe.
Log on to
Britain's 10 most dangerous roads
Login to comment
Comments
No comments have been made yet.