On average there are 5 deaths each day on UK roads. That’s 5 families who are going about normal life and then receive the devastating and unexpected news that their loved one won’t be returning home. Road death is shocking, sudden and violent in nature.
There are also approximately 75 reported serious injuries on our roads each day.
Those grieving or adapting to living with life-changing injuries need specialist support, a proper response from the justice system and a society that is no longer dismissive of road death and injury as accidental and inevitable.
RoadPeace’s vision is for a world where road danger is not tolerated and road crash victims receive justice and compassion. We are working to improve the justice system’s post-crash response and to spare others from preventable death and injury.
At RoadPeace we believe that careful and considered terminology is vital – we use the terms road traffic crash or road traffic collision (RTC). We believe that the phrase road traffic accident (RTA) exemplifies society’s tolerance of road danger and dismisses the seriousness with which road death and serious injury should be viewed – especially where there is a culpable driver.
We do not refer to plane accidents or train accidents and question why society is so willing to categorise collisions as car accidents.
You can find more information on this campaign at Crash Not Accident - RoadPeace.
“I support the call for crash not accident as it is important to acknowledge the severity of road crime and violence, ‘accident’ suggests that something is avoidable, but having my husband killed by a driver who was on their mobile phone was no accident - it could have been avoided if the driver did not choose to use their phone.”
(Diane G, bereaved wife)
#CrashNotAccident
RoadPeace West Midlands are working with Action Vision Zero and CFG to ensure that ‘hit-and-run’ drivers are properly held to account. It is our belief that where drivers knowingly leave the scene of a fatal or serious road traffic collision, they should be treated as having committed a serious criminal act.
As such we are calling for:
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The current charge of ‘fail to stop’ is inadequate as it applies to all collision severities – whether a driver has knocked off a wing-mirror or left an injured person in the road. We are asking for the introduction of two new charges of failing to remain at the scene of a fatal collision and failing to remain at the scene of a serious injury collision.
“My son was killed by a hit-and-run driver in April 2022 – my world was ripped apart. The law regarding hit-and-run is so outdated. That the charge is the same whether a wing mirror or a person is hit is unbelievable. In my son’s case, the driver was fined £95 and received a 4-month driving ban, based on his inconsideration for other road users who could have run over the same ‘debris’. Absolutely devastating.”
(Mandy O, bereaved mum)
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The current maximum time to report a road traffic collision was set in the 1988 Road Traffic Act. Over three decades later, the advancement of mobile phones means it is impossible to imagine a situation whereby 24 hours to report a serious collision can be deemed necessary. Further, this timeframe provides an alarming incentive to impaired drivers – allowing them the opportunity to leave the scene and sober up, take legal advice, or claim that they used alcohol or drugs after the collision due to the shock.
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At present, drivers arrested for causing a death can be back on our roads the following day, despite evidence of law-breaking. This often comes as a shock to bereaved families, and to wider society – who wrongly assume such drivers would not be allowed to continue driving.
Interim driving bans are possible, but very rarely used. These tend only to be imposed on repeat offenders, or once a defendant has pleaded guilty. The investigation of road traffic collisions is highly complex, and the criminal justice system is slow – it is very often a year or more, before a first court hearing. During the time that passes between a collision and the court process, the vast majority of drivers involved in killing or seriously injuring someone, will continue driving on our roads as though nothing has happened.
We ask that those arrested on suspicion of committing any driving offence which carries a mandatory disqualification have their licences suspended immediately. We believe this could be a driving licence condition, and would therefore not need to involve criminal courts in issuing interim bans.
“The driver gets interviewed by police and told we will be in touch about the investigation. They get to go and live their life as normal. Yet, the victim and the grieving families have no normality. If a person shop lifts then the store can ban them from coming back. Someone killed my dad and was able to continue driving and living his life until the investigation was completed.”
(Mandy G, bereaved daughter)
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We are asking that any legislation which may be introduced to address ‘hit-and-run’ uses the words crash or collision and not accident.
“People kept telling me they were so sorry to hear of my brother’s accident. He was a pedestrian, hit by an uninsured driver doing 93-mph on a 40-mph road. The driver then chose to leave the scene and continued speeding as he did so. It causes my family huge pain to hear his death described as an accident, when it was entirely preventable and due to the actions of a law-breaking dangerous driver.”
(Lucy, bereaved sister)
#RemainAndReport
RoadPeace are calling for road crime to be treated as real crime – for this to happen there must be a proper response from the justice system.
This includes effective sentencing but also means thorough investigation, appropriate prosecution, more and longer driving bans, effective inquests, improved victims’ rights (with victims kept properly updated and informed) and civil compensation.
You can read more about our justice work at Working for change - RoadPeace.
“Road crime should be treated and seen as serious crime. The devastation and the effect it has on so many lives cannot be quantified. Just because we are allowed to drive on the road it doesn’t give anyone the right to drive how they want, without consideration for other users. Unless you have lost someone in a road traffic collision, you may never understand the true pain and lifetime impact that it causes. I would never want anyone to experience what we and many other families have experienced and continue to do so. It’s not just you on the road in your car.”
(Elaine, bereaved sister)
#RoadCrimeIsRealCrime
The RoadPeace Challenge is an annual awareness-raising and fundraising week of action which takes places each May – but you can get involved to show your support at any time throughout the year.
The mission of the challenge is to bring together bereaved families, injured victims, emergency services, politicians, businesses, schools and communities to make a united stand against road death and injury.
You can read more about the challenge at The RoadPeace Challenge - RoadPeace.
If you would like to organise an event in aid of RoadPeace please contact us to discuss (info@roadpeace.org).
#RoadPeaceChallenge
If you are able, please help us by donating to our work. Your gift will help to ensure that RoadPeace can continue to help families facing heart-breaking tragedy and grief.
To donate to the work of the RoadPeace West Midlands group please use the just giving page set up for this project:
To donate to the work of RoadPeace as a whole or to join us as a member or supporter, please follow the below links:
Roadpeace | Charity No: 1087192 | Company No: 04165519