One rail death - what about road deaths?

12.00.00am GMT Tue 27th Feb 2007

Vehicles along road

Reaction to the rail crash in Cumbria in which one person died has been contrasted with the "daily carnage" on our roads in which on average ten people lose their lives every day.

The contrast was raised in the House of Commons, during a debate on the train derailment, by Colchester MP Bob Russell who is Chairman of an All-Party Road Safety Group and is acknowledged as one of Parliament's leading Road Safety campaigners.

He urged the Secretary of State for Transport, Mr Douglas Alexander MP, to "put this tragedy into context by informing us how many people were killed in rail crashes last year and how many in road crashes?"

Mr Russell added: "Assuming that the daily carnage on our roads has been repeated in the three days since this rail tragedy, something like 30 people will have been killed in road crashes in that time.

"How many road deaths does it take to get him to come to the Dispatch Box to talk about road crashes?"

Mr Alexander acknowledged that "on an average weekend 21 people are killed in road accidents", and "that a great deal more work has still to be done on road safety." There was an on-going commitment by the Government to reduce fatalities and injuries on the roads, and he said a Road Safety Review is to be published shortly.