19th November will see the beginning of Road Safety Week 2023 – the latest in a series of annual campaigns by the charity Brake.
The event is aimed at raising awareness of the dangers of speeding, and the differences that even a few miles-per-hour can make to avoiding road traffic accidents or reducing how harmful they are.
Nearly 3,000 schools, communities, and other organisations, all around the country will get involved between 19th and 25th November, promoting more mindfulness about the speeds that we drive and raising funds for further road safety campaigns and initiatives.
Vital work
According to Brake, 5 people die on the UK’s roads every day and 82 people, every day, suffer serious injuries in road traffic accidents. These numbers are based on an average of statistics from 2013 to 2022.
The figures show just how important it is to keep pushing initiatives for road safety: 5 lives tragically cut short, 82 more changed forever. Every day.
And looking at the 2022 accidents statistics for the types of road-user involved, which Brake also highlights, there are significant numbers of serious accidents involving more vulnerable road-users, such as pedestrians, motorcyclists, and cyclists:
- Car drivers and passengers – 788 deaths and 10,711 serious injuries
- Pedestrians – 385 deaths and 5,901 serious injuries
- Motorcyclists – 350 deaths and 5,618 serious injuries
- Cyclists – 91 deaths and 4,056 serious injuries
- Bus, truck, van and unknown vehicle occupants – 97 deaths and 1,745 serious injuries
Serious injuries in road traffic accidents
At Truth Legal, we have seen first-hand the kind of enormous changes a road traffic accident injury can make to someone’s life. Whether it’s the pain and suffering of the injuries themselves – perhaps leaving the victim with permanent symptoms – or the way the effects of those injuries can completely alter the course of someone’s life.
We have acted for a number of clients who have suffered serious injuries in road traffic accidents.
On our website, we tell the stories of some of these clients and their subsequent claims for compensation. One of these clients, a young woman, suffered life threatening injuries when she was crossing the road and hit by a speeding car. Another client suffered multiple fractures to both knees when a negligent car driver cut across her path and knocked her off her bike.
Both of these stories offer a sobering insight into the human cost of speeding and unsafe driving.
If you are fortunate enough not to have been personally affected by a serious road traffic accident, we would encourage you to read these stories, and also look into those on the Brake website, to see the reality of what’s at stake when talking about road safety.
Getting help
If, however, you have been affected by a road traffic accident injury, there are resources out there to help you.
Alongside their campaigns to improve road safety, Brake offers help and support to victims of road traffic accidents and their loved ones.
Our personal injury team has also assisted hundreds of people going through the pain and upheaval of a road traffic accident and have helped clients to recover thousands of pounds in financial restitution and to move past their accidents. Our experienced team have also helped families who have tragically lost a loved one in a fatal road traffic accident by guiding them through the legal processes of claiming compensation and liaising with the police and Coroner’s Office.
If you would like guidance on your legal options after a road traffic accident, we have a number of resources on our website. These include our in-depth guides on:
- How to make a road traffic accident claim
- Making a pedestrian road traffic accident claim specifically
- The changes in the law which took place in 2021 concerning whiplash injuries – which can limit the availability of legal representation in some situations.
Alternatively, you can always get in touch with us if you would like legal advice on your situation.
