UK needs road collision investigation unit, says TRL

TRL has called for on the government to create a specialist road collision investigation unit in response to figures showing and eight per cent increase in people killed or seriously injured in road accidents between 2015 and 2016.

Although, the total number of all casualties fell three per cent to 181,384 the number killed was up four per cent at 1,792 and the number seriously injured was up nine per cent at 24,101.

TRL’s academy director Richard Cuerden said: “The increase in road casualties reinforces the need for the establishment of a UK Road Collision Investigation Branch to gather and make available better data to provide the evidence base to reduce the number of fatalities and injuries on our roads. Every single person killed on our roads represents a tragedy and it is imperative that road safety is given the same level of attention as that of air and rail.

“It is essential that future casualty prevention strategies are informed by latest trends such as the digital revolution and rapid development of vehicle technologies, change in mobility habits and the rise in active travel such as cycling. Only this way can we ensure that casualty prevention strategies are not only fit for purpose but future proofed too.”