Each year, BRAKE organises one of the UK’s biggest road safety event – Road Safety Week from 17th to 23rd November 2024. This national event raises awareness of road safety issues and encourages action to prevent deaths and injuries on the roads.
BRAKE is a UK-based road safety charity that focuses on preventing road deaths and injuries, supporting victims of road traffic crashes, and advocating for safer roads. The charity works to raise awareness about road safety issues, promote sustainable transport options, and push for stronger traffic laws and regulations.
Every year, more than 1700 people die on UK roads. Another 30,000 receive serious, life-changing injuries.
Some key aspects of BRAKE’s work include:
Road safety campaigns
BRAKE runs various public campaigns to encourage safer driving, reduce speeding, discourage drink and drug driving, and promote the use of seat belts and other safety measures.
Education programs
They provide educational resources for schools, communities, and organisations to spread the message about road safety, especially focusing on young drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists.
Victim support services
BRAKE offers emotional and practical support to those affected by road crashes, including the families of victims. They provide resources, counselling, and guidance to help people cope with the aftermath of road traffic collisions.
Policy advocacy
The charity campaigns for better traffic laws and enforcement in the UK, such as reducing speed limits, increasing penalties for dangerous driving, and improving road infrastructure to protect vulnerable road users.
Working with the community
BRAKE works with schools, companies, and local authorities to promote road safety initiatives and encourage safer driving behaviour. It is also involved in research and partnerships with other organisations to advocate for effective road safety measures at a national level.
Get involved and support BRAKE.
Facts and figures on road safety
The Department for Transport (DfT) in the UK reported that 1,302 children (aged 0-15 years) were killed or seriously injured in road traffic collisions in 2022. Of these, 34 children were killed, while the rest sustained serious injuries.
Pedestrians and cyclists make up the majority of children involved in road traffic collisions, reflecting their vulnerability when using roads.
According to the 2022 data, 49% of the child casualties were pedestrians, whilst children travelling as passengers in vehicles accounted for approximately 30% of the casualties and 16% were injured in cycling incidents.
Looking more closely at the data:
- Ages 0-4: Children in this age group are more likely to be injured as passengers rather than pedestrians or cyclists.
- Ages 5-10: These children are more likely to be injured as pedestrians, especially during school travel times.
- Ages 11-15: Older children tend to be more independent, often injured as pedestrians or cyclists. This age group also shows higher road crash rates during the evening or weekend hours.
The above figures aRE based on 2022 Data.
We know that the speed of vehicles is a significant factor in the severity of child collisions. Children involved in accidents in 30 mph zones being much less likely to sustain fatal injuries compared to those in higher-speed zones.
Driver inattentiveness, speeding, and failure to yield are common causes in collisions involving children as pedestrians or cyclists, and these are all things which of course are within our control. Likewise, we can all do our part in educating our children about road safety awareness.
How Moore Barlow can help
Promoting child road safety is something that the Serious injury lawyers at Moore Barlow are passionate about, since sadly we see daily the tragic consequences of the most serious accidents involving children. Please join us in supporting and spreading the word about #RoadSafetyWeek and #BRAKE
Rebecca Waller is an Associate in the Serious Injury Team. At Moore Barlow our specialist Solicitors support those after serious injury to access rehabilitation, secure interim payments and compensation to rebuild lives.
Our Serious Injury Team can be contacted on Freephone 0800 157 7611 or by email claim@moorebarlow.com.
