Transport Briefing

RoadPeace, the national charity for road traffic victims, was set up in February 1992 in response to the urgent need for a national organisation to represent and support bereaved and injured road traffic victims. Never before have road traffic victims had a body to act as their advocate. RoadPeace is the national voice for victims of all types of road offences. It works at raising awareness of the need to reduce danger at source - 'Working for real road safety'. It also provides practical and emotional support to those who have been bereaved or injured as a result of a road crash and carries out research into the impact on victims and families and the most effective, evidence based, interventions.

Road deaths and injuries are routinely labelled "accidents", even when caused by gross negligence and breach of traffic laws, and are followed in most cases only by minor road traffic charges which consider the facts of death or injury as irrelevant.

Road Safety has risen rapidly up the political agenda over the past decade. Ten years ago, despite national targets having been set to cut the number of casualties on the roads, road safety was still seen as a side issue. Today it is mainstream. Indeed the Prime Minister himself launched the Government's Road Safety Strategy two years ago.

A number of factors have brought about the change. Victims of road crashes have become more visible. The main reason for this was the establishment of RoadPeace. This changed everything in the road safety world. No longer could road safety professionals turn up at conferences and discuss road safety amongst themselves, road traffic victims were also there, "humanising" the issue.

This organised group of road traffic victims also brought pressure on ministers to do something. As well as working through their Parliamentary Group, RoadPeace observes August as National Road Victim Month and holds a number of regular events, such as a monthly gathering in Westminster and a Remembrance Day for road victims each November, to highlight their cause. Over the last ten years, RoadPeace representatives and members have written thousands of letters to ministers and MPs. They have appeared in the local press and on the national media. Issues only go up the political agenda if governments feel there is a "constituency" of people behind them - RoadPeace gave road safety the constituency it never had before.

One of the clear signs that road safety as an issue, has soared up the political agenda is the fact that a backlash has developed. Any backlash is a sign that some people are being threatened by change. Newly formed organisations like the Association of British Drivers see the increased use of speed cameras and other measures to reduce dangers on the road as a sign that some drivers' 'freedoms are under threat'. The RoadPeace response to this argument is that well over 50% of road crash victims are drivers that many drivers are under threat from other drivers.

The next 10 years are likely to see measures implemented on the ground to reduce road danger - the logical outcome of the last decade, with governments made to face up to the real problems of road safety. The 'road safety constituency' - RoadPeace and road traffic victims - is becoming stronger and more organised year by year.

As well as raising Parliament's awareness through their Parliamentary Group, RoadPeace works at European level at the relevant UN working parties, through their membership of the European Federation of Road traffic Victims, which has UN consultative status. The Federation made, amongst others, a major contribution to the European Parliament's Programme on Road Safety Priorities for 2002 - 2010.

RoadPeace published their response to the lack of any post-crash care strategy - The Missing Chapter - and a document on the serious under-reporting of road casualties. It also brings their unique expertise in road law and road victim issues to their many contributions to various Home Office, DETR, Department of Health, Law Commission and other relevant consultations.

On 6 June 2002 RoadPeace is holding a major conference on the response to road death and injury in the past decade.

Abbreviated from an article written by John Stewart, Chair of Transport 2000 and Road Safety Advisor to RoadPeace