Lawford Kidd's Blog

A new map plotting cyclist accident hotspots has revealed the most dangerous areas for vulnerable road users to use.

The statistics, which come from Transport Scotland reveal the most likely places for fatal and serious injuries with the study revealing a mixed success rate. This year has seen a significant reduction in the number of fatal accidents involving cyclists . However, there has been a slight increase in the number of cyclists seriously injured.

Last year eight cyclists lost their lives on Scotland’s roads, a substantial drop of 38.5% from the previous year however almost 900 cyclists were seriously injured, indicating a slight rise of 0.5%.

Human factors continue to significantly outweigh other reasons for crashes on British roads, according to new analysis by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM). The road safety group has renewed its call for drivers to look on improving driving skills as part of their lifelong personal development.

Figures from the Department of Transport apparently show that in 2014 driver/rider error or reaction were cited as contributory factors in 74% of accidents, involving more than 117,000 casualties.

The second highest factor was ‘behaviour or inexperience’, which was cited as a contributory factor in 26% of accidents, accounting for more than 40,000 casualties.

A woman has received compensation amounting to around £145,000 after she was seriously injured when a car hit the moped she was driving, reports the Birmingham Mail.

The incident happened in Birmingham in July 2011. Sarah Forbes was on her moped when she was hit by a car that had pulled out of a side road. She sustained serious injuries, including a crushed sciatic nerve and dislocated hip, which required surgery to fix.

Ms Forbes spent a total of 20 days in hospital, and then was reliant on care from her family for a while. She has been left with restricted mobility and frequently relies on a zimmer frame or wheelchair to help her get around.  In addition, she had to give her up her job because the pain she suffered in her legs was so severe.

Road safety charity Brake has urged the UK Government to reintroduce casualty reduction targets.

The call follows the publication by the Department for Transport of its Reported Road Casualties in Great Britain Annual Report for 2014, which shows that 1,775 people died on the roads (a 4% increase on the year before). A further 22,807 were seriously injured (a 5% annual increase).

Casualties of all severities rose to 194,477 in Great Britain in 2014, an increase of 6% from 2013, interrupting what was a steady downward trend since 1997.

Around 18,000 pedestrians were injured in an accident involving a vehicle in the last full year, according to new analysis by road safety charity the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM).

The charity is calling for an even greater focus on pedestrian protection to make cars safer and raise awareness of the risks.

The figures come from a Freedom of Information (FOI) request made by the IAM, asking for details of the most common pairs of contributory factors reported together by the police attending the scene of an accident in 2013.