Press release -
RAC and IAM condemn cuts to road safety TV advertising
The RAC and the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) have condemned the axing of children’s road safety TV advertising by the Department of Transport.
Figures unveiled last week following a Freedom of Information request from IAM showed that spending on road safety campaigning had been cut by around 80% in the last four years, from £19 million in 2008-09 to just £3.57 million in 2012-13*. This was then followed by confirmation that road safety TV adverts will no longer be shown in England due to budgets being re-prioritised.
According to Department for Transport statistics, in the mid-1990s an average of 130 children were killed as pedestrians on Britain’s roads every year, but by 2011 – the most recent year for which figures are available – the number had fallen to 33, a slight rise from 2010 when numbers went as low as 26.
RAC technical director David Bizley said: "Since the 1960s, public awareness programmes have made an important contribution to drastically reducing the number of pedestrians killed on Britain’s roads. We know that these campaigns work, which makes it all the more inexplicable that funding for them is being slashed and that TV advertising is being ended altogether. Worryingly, the number of children killed on Britain’s roads rose last year, which shows the need to continue educating both drivers and pedestrians on how to use the road network safely and effectively. The cost of an advertising campaign seems a small price to pay to save a child’s life, particularly when it represents such a tiny proportion of the overall DfT budget.”
IAM chief executive Simon Best said: “The human and social costs of road accidents are immeasurable, but with the cost of each fatal casualty on the road estimated to be £1.7 million, it makes no financial sense to cut campaigns. The returns on investment in road safety are huge. We all remember television road safety campaigns from our childhoods, so we know they have an impact. ”
Topics
Notes to Editors
* Institute of Advanced Motorists: www.iam.org.uk/media-and-research/media-centre/news-archive/20198-government-cuts-15-million-from-road-safety-campaigns
Child road fatalities - pedestrian
http://assets.dft.gov.uk/statistics/releases/road-accidents-and-safety-annual-report-2010/rrcgb2010-01.pdf
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/9274/rrcgb2011-01.pdf
About the RAC
First formed in 1897, the RAC has been looking after the needs of its members and championing the interests of drivers for more than 120 years.
Today it has more than eight million members and is one of the UK’s most progressive motoring organisations, providing services for both private and business motorists. Whether it's roadside assistance, insurance, buying a used car, vehicle inspections and checks, legal services or up-to-the-minute traffic and travel information – the RAC offers a solution for all motoring needs. The RAC is committed to making motoring easier, safer, more affordable and more enjoyable for drivers and road users.
The RAC is the motorist’s champion and campaigns to support the interests of its members and UK drivers at a national level. This includes voicing concerns about the increasing cost of motoring, particularly the price of fuel and the high level of tax levied on it, advancing levels of road safety, and supporting the needs of all drivers, from young to old.
The RAC’s annual Report on Motoring – first published in 1989 – is one of a kind and provides a clear insight into the concerns and issues facing today’s motorists.
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About Institute of Advanced Motorists:
The IAM is the UK’s largest independent road safety charity, dedicated to improving standards and safety in driving, motorcycling andThe commercial division of the IAM operates through its occupational driver training company IAM Drive & Survive. The IAM has more than 200 local volunteer groups and over 100,000 members in the UK and Ireland. It is best known for the advanced driving test and the advanced driving, motorcycling and cycling courses. Its policy and research division offers advice and expertise on road safety.
The IAM received a response to the freedom of information request on 21 January 2013.
