Ten times more people died on rural roads than motorways last year - Shropshire MP calls for safety improvements
A Shropshire MP has said that action must be taken to improve rural road safety after it emerged that ten times more people died on rural British roads than on motorways last year.
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Stuart Anderson MP has called on the Government to intensify efforts to improve road safety in rural areas and has written to the Transport Secretary calling for the continuation of the Safer Roads Fund.
Government statistics state that 969 people were killed in collisions on rural roads in 2023, while 84 were killed on Great Britain's motorways. Figures also revealed that there were 44,241 casualties last year as a result of collisions on rural roads.
Mr Anderson's call came in Road Safety Week, which began last Sunday and runs until Saturday (November 23).
Organised by road safety charity Brake, this year’s theme is ‘After the Crash - Every Road Victim Counts'. The scheme aims to raise awareness of the devastating toll of road crashes and celebrate those who support families after road death or serious injury.
The South Shropshire MP's call also comes after a recent meeting with Morville Speed Group alongside the Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion and local council candidate Dominic Stanford. During their conversation, the local candidate said residents are "fed up" of speeding vehicles, and issues around speed, collisions, and damage to property caused by dangerous driving have been raised by residents.
Mr Anderson has called for rural roads to be prioritised in the government’s new Road Safety Strategy. In a letter to the Transport Secretary, he has called for greater investment in rural road safety interventions by continuing the Safer Roads Fund set up by the previous government.
Additionally, the MP has urged the Government to adopt Brake’s suggestion of providing sustainable funding and parity of care for road victims and their families.
He said: "I am determined to change this for the better.
"Organised by road safety charity Brake, Road Safety Week is an ideal opportunity to raise awareness of the devastating toll of road crashes and the need to better support victims and their families. I am encouraged that the Government intends to publish a new Road Safety Strategy.
"Given the disproportionate impact on rural communities, I hope that country roads will feature prominently in this strategy and provide greater investment for rural road safety interventions, for example, by continuing the Safer Roads Fund."
