RoadPeace, the national charity for road crash victims, is today launching National Road Victim Month 2024 – an annual campaign aimed at raising awareness of the staggering number of people needlessly killed and injured on UK roads.
The campaign, which takes place throughout August, aims to raise awareness about the fact that:
- Every day in the UK, five people are killed and around 80 are seriously injured, on average, in road collisions
- Since records began in 1926, over 500,000 people have been killed in UK road crashes – far exceeding the 375,000 UK citizens killed due to warfare during the same period
- The routine daily activity of driving results in more fatalities annually in the UK than both murder and terrorism combined
- In 2022 alone, 1,766 people were reported killed and 141,560 people were reported injured in collisions on UK roads
National Road Victim Month, which was established in 1998 by RoadPeace, also recognises the work of the emergency services, who respond to road crashes every day, and highlights the mental and physical impact that road crashes have on them.
August was chosen to honour Diana Princess of Wales, who was killed in a road crash on 31 August 1997, and Bridget Driscoll, the UK’s first road crash victim, who was killed on 17 August 1896, in Crystal Palace, London.
At Bridget Driscoll’s inquest, the coroner reportedly said he hoped that “such a thing would never happen again.” Yet, tragically, since then UK road deaths have far exceeded half a million.
Nick Simmons, CEO of RoadPeace, the national charity for road crash victims, said: “A shocking five people are killed and 80 are seriously injured, on average, on the UK’s roads each day. These crashes are especially heartbreaking because most of them can be prevented.
“Road collisions shatter lives and families, leaving behind a trail of devastation. For more than 30 years, RoadPeace has supported countless families through unimaginable trauma and grief following a road crash. They didn’t ever think that they would be a crash victim, but tragically, the reality is that it can happen to anyone.”
Throughout August, RoadPeace will be highlighting victims’ stories. Please make sure you are following us on social media to keep up-to-date: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram
For more information about National Road Victim Month and how to get involved, please click here.
Our resources can all be found here.
Updated on: 1 August 2024