Britain's Killer Roads: Road Traffic Collisions and Brain Injury

Between 40%-50% of all brain injuries are believed to have occurred following a road traffic collision. BBC Panorama has recently released the documentary Britain’s Killer Roads which gave us an insight into the current state of British roads. Statistics show that for 30 years the rate of deaths per billion miles had been falling, however for the last decade it remained the same, while figures from 2020 show a 5% increase – the most significant increase in 40 years.

The programme lists four main reasons for this: a decrease in traffic officers, an increase of the amount of speeding, as well as safety issues around smart motorways and drink driving.

Overall, it doesn’t paint a positive picture, however the Government has promised more funding and increased police recruitment to tackle the issue. In the meantime, there are some things that you can do decrease your risk of suffering a major trauma, the obvious one’s being don’t drive under the influence and don’t speed, however as well as this, you can check your vehicle - in particular your brake pads and tyre tread to spot potential issues ahead of time. It is always helpful to check the weather forecast when planning a journey and to make sure you always drive to the road conditions.

Our specialist brain injury solicitor Paul Brown said:

“The figures quoted in the recent BBC Panorama programme were sobering and show that road safety needs to be taken more seriously in the UK. The amount of road traffic police have decreased substantially and we would argue that more needs to be done to ensure that this trend does not continue and that the amount of road deaths and serious injuries on our roads are addressed urgently”

If you would like to speak to Paul and the rest of our Serious Injury team you can contact them either on 0191 300 1833 or e-mail hello@burnetts.co.uk

More Information:

We are a part of the Major Trauma Group, a collective of legal and health professional that support those who have suffered major trauma including brain injuries. You can read more on the subject of traffic accidents and major trauma here. We are also on the recommended panel of solicitors for a number of amazing charities including Headway the Brain Injury Association, United Kingdom Acquired Brain Injury Forum and The Spinal Injuries Association because of our expertise in supporting patients and their families following serious injuries.