Road Incidents
The Government's casualty reduction targets for 2010, compared
with the 1994-98 average, are:
- A 40% reduction in the number of people killed or seriously
injured in road collisions.
- A 50% reduction in the number of children killed or seriously
injured.
- A 10% reduction in the slight casualty rate, expressed as the
number of people slightly injured per 100 million vehicle
kilometres.
View ‘Tomorrow’s roads
– safer for everyone’ a Department for Transport publication,
which outlines these targets.
In this section, you can find out about:
- The penalties and dangers of drink and drug driving.
- What may happen if you are involved in a collision.
- The role of the police after a collision.
- Insurance issues after a collision.
- Fatal collisions.
- Bad driving incidents.
Road Victims' Trust
Each year about three thousand people die as a result of road
collisions on the UK's roads.
This represents an enormous loss. Each person killed will be
someone's parent, partner, child, or a favourite relative, best
friend or soul-mate.
The need to provide effective, personal support to those
affected by death, or life changing injuries, resulting from road
collisions, is a significant issue. Who can provide that essential
personal support? Key players in the formal processes that handle
collisions, such as police, the Coroner, lawyers and the courts,
have their roles to play but none involve emotional or practical
help for victims.
Road Victims Trust seeks to fill the gap by providing support
for the bereaved, and people otherwise affected by death, or life
changing injuries, who are resident in Bedfordshire and
Hertfordshire.
The Trust, founded in 1995 in Bedfordshire is a nonprofit making
charitable organisation and all the services it provides are free.
There is no statutory funding of the organisation and all costs are
raised by grants, donations and fundraising events.
The Trust offers:
Regular, weekly emotional and practical support for individuals
and families in their homes or at our office, for as long as it is
useful
- Space to express the whole range of feelings that come with
the loss and horror following a fatal road collision
- Space to discuss the repercussions of the collision that is a
life changing event for all those involved
- Information on the investigation, inquest and court hearings
and preparation and support for inquests and hearings
- Access to a list of suitably qualified lawyers who will provide
a free initial consultation.
Why we make this offer: Because for victims we understand
that this is a difficult and potentially confusing time
- there is so much going on it's hard to take it all in
- the rollercoaster range of emotions that may be felt
- there are many practical tasks that have to be carried out
- that dealing with police and court procedures and officials can
be puzzling and upsetting.
In September 2003 the Road Victims Trust became
a local, independent, charitable trust with formal Service Level
Agreements and Protocols with the Bedfordshire Police and Coroner
ensuring all victims of fatal road collisions are referred to the
Trust.