Third of adults experience a road collision or near miss

New research from the road safety charity Brake has revealed that nearly a third of adults were in a collision, or had a near miss, with a vehicle on a UK road in the past year.

Released to mark the start of Road Safety Week 2019, the research has been published to highlight the level of danger felt on UK roads and to encourage people to ‘Step Up for Safe Streets’.

In addition to one in three adults stating that they’ve experienced a collision or near miss with a vehicle on a UK road in the past year, Brake says that this number rises to more than half when just young adults (18-34-year-olds) are concerned.

Crashes and near misses can significantly impact on people’s perceptions of safety, making streets feel less welcoming and holding people back from choosing to walk and cycle - modes of transport which have support from the road safety community and government as they reduce car use, and so the level of danger on the roads, as well as improving public health.

Joshua Harris, director of campaigns for Brake, said: “These findings paint an alarming picture of the danger on our roads and yet it’s what we’re all exposed to, every day, when getting about. We shouldn’t have to accept this level of risk as part of our daily lives and so we are calling on everyone to ‘Step Up’ for Road Safety Week and shout out for the solutions that we know can make our roads safe.

“Across the country, people are working tirelessly to campaign for safe streets, organising petitions, meeting with MPs and councillors and raising money and awareness. This Road Safety Week we want everyone to think about how they can do their bit and step up for safe streets. Can you join or start a local campaign? Do you need to take the car on your next journey, or could you walk, cycle or get the bus? If you are travelling by car, will you pledge to always keep within speed limits and never drive after drinking alcohol or taking drugs? Let’s all Step Up for Safe Streets and, together, we can help make roads safer for everyone.”

Road Safety Week 2019 partners, Kwik-Fit and Specsavers, are also backing the campaign for safe streets, with Kwik-Fit offering free vehicle safety checks at more than 600 centres across the country and Specsavers touring a virtual reality driving experience to encourage people to make sure their eyesight is good enough for driving.