Biker deaths fall 2% in 2007
Added on Friday, June 27th, 2008 by Carole Nash Editor | No Comments
The number of motorcyclists killed in 2007 fell although serious injuries rose by 4%.
The number of motorcyclists killed on the roads saw a 2% drop on last year according to figures released by the DfT today,
The number of motorcycle-related fatalities fell to 588 in 2007 compared with 599 in 2006 although the number of riders seriously injured as a result of a motorcycle accident rose by 4%.
In total, 6,149 people were injured in the UK during 2007 as a result of a motorcycle accident compared with the figure of 5,885 people seriously injured 12 months prior.
The number of motorcyclists suffering minor injuries fell from 16842 down to 16722.
The number of motorcyclist deaths is still considerably higher than official government targets however, with the figure of 588 deaths still 26% higher that the target of 467.
Overall, the total number of casualties rose by 1% - the only category of vehicle users to see an overall rise - although the figure of 23,459 casualties is still 2% below government targets.
The total number of deaths on UK roads fell by 7% to 2,943 - the first time in 80 years that annual road deaths in the UK has fallen below 3,000. There was also a 4% drop in the total number of casualties, from 258,404 in 2006 down to 247,780 in 2007.
The number of children killed on Britain’s roads fell by 28% on last year to 121 - 53% below official targets.
The figures will provide encouragement for road safety campaigners and Kevin Clinton of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) said that the figures vindicated the work of road safety organisations across the country.
“The progress we have made since then is a tribute to road safety professionals working in local authorities and the police forces, and shows the value of having long-term, government-led road safety strategies,” said Clinton. “Technological advances in the motor industry have also played a very significant role.”
“It is encouraging to see that child casualties are down seven per cent and child deaths down by 28 per cent to 121.
Clinton did however express concern over increases in the numbers of deaths and injuries of two-wheeled users, calling for improvements in road safety investment and driver training.
He added: “The number of pedal cyclists and motorcyclists killed also fell. But it is worrying to see increases in deaths among adult cyclists and in serious injuries among child cyclists. This shows the need for the new investment of £140million announced earlier this year to make the roads safer for cyclists and for cyclist training.
“Although motorcyclist deaths fell slightly, the number seriously injured rose. We still need to see improvements in motorcycle training and riders need to develop skills and experience if they are riding more powerful machines.
“Drivers too can benefit from refresher driver training which can iron out bad habits they may have unwittingly developed over the years.”
“We hope the Government’s review of the driver training and testing regime will bring even more improvements to address the high risk group of young and inexperienced drivers.
“Measures such as reducing the drink-drive limit and changing our clocks to bring us lighter evenings all-year-round would also have a major impact on reducing deaths and injuries.”
Summary of figures:
- There were 247,780 reported casualties on roads in Great Britain in 2007, 4 per cent less than in 2006. 2,943 people were killed, 7 per cent less than in 2006. 27,777 were seriously injured (down 3 per cent on 2006) and 217,060 were slightly injured (down 4 per cent on 2006).
- There were 182,115 road accidents involving personal injury in 2007, 4 per cent less than in 2006. Of these, 27,036 involved death or serious injury.
- Child casualties fell by 7 per cent. There were 121 child fatalities, 28 per cent fewer than in 2006. The number of children killed or seriously injured in 2007 was 3,090, 6 per cent lower than 2006. Of those, 1,899 were pedestrians, 6 per cent down on 2006.
- Motorcycle user casualties were 1 per cent higher than the 2006 level at 23,459 in 2007. The number killed fell 2 per cent to 588 while the number of seriously injured rose by 4 per cent to 6,149.
- Car user casualties decreased by 6 per cent on the 2006 figure to 161,433 and fatalities fell by 11 per cent to 1,431 from 1,612. Killed or seriously injured casualties were down by 9 per cent from 14,254 to 12,967.
- Pedestrian casualties were 30,191 in 2007, 3 per cent less than 2006. Pedestrian deaths were 5 per cent lower compared to 2006 at 644 and serious injuries fell by 2 per cent to 6,280.
- Pedal cyclist casualties were at the same level as 2006 at 16,195. There were 2,428 seriously injured casualties, 6 per cent higher than in 2006. The number of pedal cyclists killed decreased by 7 per cent from 146 to 136.
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