A Road Victims Charter will be launched in Westminster today, demanding essential actions to ensure drivers affected by road crashes receive proper support and justice.
The charter by road charity Brake will be unveiled at a drop-in event for MPs at 3pm, calling on the Government to establish national standards in post-crash response.
The initiative aims to extend the rights set out in the Victims’ Code to those impacted by road harm, regardless of where they live or whether a crime has occurred.
Brake explained that road victims have been “forgotten and neglected” for too long, as it puts their needs at the heart of Road Safety Week 2024.
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74 per cent believed road crash victims should have access to equivalent support as victims of terrorism
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The charter comes after the latest Government figures showed 1,695 people died on UK roads in 2023, with 1,624 deaths in Britain and 71 in Northern Ireland.A further 28,967 people were seriously injured across the UK during the same period.
During 2023, Brake’s National Road Victim Service provided specialist support to more than 1,500 families across the UK. The charity currently supports around 700 road victim families at any time, including parents, grandparents, siblings and witnesses of traumatic incidents.
Around seven per cent of support cases involve the death of a child, while 12 per cent involve someone considered high risk or vulnerable.
Ross Moorlock, chief executive at Brake, said: “Road casualties are not just statistics. Behind every number is a grief-stricken family whose lives have been changed forever in an instant.”
He added: “The demand on our service continues to grow as road deaths and injuries show no sign of reducing. Every year, more families suffer the devastating impact of a road crash.”
Moorlock highlighted that Government funding for road victim support remains inadequate, with charities relying on other supporters to fund their vital work. “We know that the right support at the right time can change the course of someone’s life,” he said.
The Road Victims Charter has been developed in collaboration with bereaved families, trauma consultants, support staff and professionals from across the criminal justice and medical sectors.
“Every road victim deserves the very highest standard of support,” said Moorlock. “We need national, multi-year funding for the provision of support to the affected road victim community. Our families have told us what they want and what they need,” he added.
Road Safety Week, Brake’s biggest annual campaign, runs from November 17-23 beginning with World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.More than 3,300 educators, employers and emergency services have signed up to participate, representing over four million people nationwide.
The campaign aims to raise awareness of road crashes’ devastating impact and celebrate those who provide post-crash support.
The charter follows a public opinion survey conducted by Brake in April which revealed strong support for equal treatment of road crash victims.
The survey found 79 per cent of respondents agreed that families bereaved or seriously injured from road crashes should receive the same level of support as homicide victims.
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1,695 people died on UK roads in 2023
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A further 74 per cent believed road crash victims should have access to equivalent support as victims of terrorism.
A UK Government spokesperson said: “Every death on our roads is a tragedy and our thoughts remain with the families of everyone who has lost a loved one in this way. We are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads, and we are developing a road safety strategy which we will set out more details on in due course.”