Failing to look properly remains top factor in road accidents

The avoidable error of failing to look properly is still the most frequently-reported factor in accidents on Britain’s roads, showing the need for drivers and riders to brush up on their skills says RoSPA.

A contributory factors summary* in the Department for Transport’s Reported Road Casualties Great Britain: 2009 publication shows that a driver or motorcyclist did not look properly in 38 per cent of accidents reported to the police. In 2008, failing to look properly was cited in 37 per cent of accidents.

The 2009 figures also show that a pedestrian failing to look properly was reported in 58 per cent of accidents in which a pedestrian was injured or killed.

For fatal road accidents, the most frequently-reported contributory factor was loss of control by a driver or motorcyclist, which was cited in 36 per cent of fatal accidents.

Exceeding the speed limit was a factor in five per cent of accidents, but accounted for 17 per cent of deaths. Travelling too fast for the conditions was a factor in a further eight per cent of accidents, accounting for 11 per cent of deaths.

Other key issues highlighted by today’s figures are that:

• Most road deaths occur on rural roads – 40 per cent of fatalities occurred on rural A roads with a further 21 per cent on other rural roads, compared to 34 per cent on urban roads and six per cent on motorway
• The overall road user fatality rate per 100,000 population is highest among those aged 16-19.

Kevin Clinton, head of road safety at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), said: “Once again, Britain’s annual reported road casualty figures show that improving the skills of driver and riders could play a major part in making our roads safer.

“Failing to look properly is not just a benign bad habit – the latest figures show that it is involved in many thousands of accidents on our roads. However, it is a bad habit that can be overcome. We encourage all drivers and riders to look beyond their learner tests and to take refresher training throughout their lives.

“There’s an important message for pedestrians too. Looking properly is as important when you are walking as it is when you are driving, so take care not to be dangerously distracted, whether by mobile phones, listening to music or being caught up in conversations with other people.”

He added: “The long-term trend of the last 20 years has been a massive reduction in road casualties. However, there remain further improvements to make, which is why it is so important to stay focused on road safety, even in a time of spending cuts. As today’s report makes clear, road accidents are extremely costly; when you consider the cost of reported accidents plus the cost of accidents that are not reported to the police, the total value of the prevention of road accidents could be around £33billion.”

In 2009, 2,222 people were killed on Britain’s roads, 24,690 were seriously injured and 195,234 were slightly injured. There were 163,554 reported accidents, of which 78 per cent (128,185 accidents, accounting for 2,094 deaths) were analysed for the contributory factors report.