Road accident rates down
Recent figure have indicated that cases of road accidents happening on UK roads are decreasing.
Overall reported road accident casualties are down 8 per cent, and the number of cases of people involved a fatality or serious personal injuries are down 9 per cent.
The fatalities have fallen 13 per cent, in the 12 months up to March ending this year. This is in comparison to the same period up to the end of March 2008.
However, over the 12 month period up to the end of March 2009, the overall rate of road traffic has declined by 2 per cent compared with the 12 months prior to that.
These figures can indicate that the number of accident claims that are being made due to road collisions incidents could be falling.
Rate of accidents down
Additionally, pedestrian accidents showed a drop of 8 per cent in overall casualties, and also of 8 per cent in those were someone was killed or seriously injured (KSI) in an accident.
Motorcycle accidents showed a drop of 9 per cent in overall casualties, and a drop of 11 per cent in KSI accidents, while KSI bicycle accidents showed a 2 per cent drop over the same period.
The rate of car accidents showed a fall of 10 per cent casualties overall, with KSI incidents down 9 per cent in the 12 month to the end of March comparison period.
The rate of child casualties, which happened over the period were down 8 per cent with KSI accidents involving children down 9 per cent.
A new legislation will lead to the fine for drivers who don’t wear their seatbelts double. The legislation has been introduced to try and curb the rate of accidents that happen on the roads.
Public voice their concerns
This comes after a public consultation to find out the views of people on, about how to address the fact that a number of motorists fail to comply with seatbelt laws.
The fixed penalty fine for failing to wear a seatbelt for adults, whether they are the driver or passenger has been increased from £30 to £60.
Additionally it is also the driver's responsibility to ensure that any occupants in the vehicle who are under 14-years-old use a seatbelt or suitable child restraint or they will again face a £60 fine.
The figures released by the DfT show that the target for 2010 of reducing road accidents in which lead to KSI or fatalities by 40 per cent compared with the average for the period 1994 to 1998 is being surpassed at 42 per cent for the 12 month period up to the end of March 2009.
Alan Campbell, of the Home Office, a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State said: "The vast majority of motorists wear seat belts but we need to go further to make it clear to those who do not obey the rules that they are not only risking their lives but others too.
Mr Campbell also added: "By increasing the fixed penalty, we are sending a clear message to motorists that we will crack down on them if they are caught failing to take this vital safety precaution. This is not about taking money from motorists; it's about doing all we can to keep the public safe on our roads."
Updated on 11/09/2009