Call comes ahead of national safety initiative.
Labour’s Shadow Transport Minister Richard Burden MP is supporting national Road Safety Week, 18th-24th November, by calling on road users and Ministers to “tune into road safety”.
Government figures released in November showed that the number of casualties for motorcyclists and cyclists has risen in comparison to the previous year. Last week nine cyclists lost their lives in London in just five days.
Road Safety Week, coordinated by the road safety charity Brake, is the UK’s leading event to promote safer road use. This year it focuses on preventing tragic collisions caused by driver distraction, and will be supported with a week of increased police enforcement coordinated by the Association of Chief Police Officers.
The Shadow Transport Minister will join three different police forces throughout the week to support safety operations on driver distraction, HGV and commercial vehicle safety, and drink and drug driving.
Speaking ahead of the event, Mr Burden said: “After years of relentless pressure to improve safety on our roads, recent increases in cyclist and motorcyclist casualties are really concerning. The news of five cyclists dying on the roads in London in just five days is a real tragedy.”
Roads are shared between pedestrians, cyclists and motorists, and road safety is all of our responsibility. But strong leadership by the Government is absolutely crucial to focus minds and attention on the issue across local authorities, the police and other agencies. Unfortunately since 2010 Ministers have axed targets to reduce deaths and serious injuries and cut the front line policing vital for safety enforcement.
This Road Safety Week I’m calling on the Government to tune into road safety and ensure this shared space is safe for all.”