Let’s act on road deaths as well

After the tragic shooting deaths in Keyham we are now considering whole-system changes to the way guns are licensed. This is of course right and proper: it’s how we stop future events.

Let’s draw a parallel with our response to deaths on our roads. Last week I attended a vigil for Maria Perez Gonzalez – a health worker who was killed when cycling home from work by a driver who was later arrested for drink/ drug driving.

A tragic and unnecessary death, but, sadly, not unusual. In the UK we see five people killed every day on our roads and tens of people having life-changing injuries.

Where is the urgent commitment to take a whole-system look at the causes of these deaths? For some reason we’ve come to accept these deaths and serious injuries as ‘just one of those things,’ about which we can do nothing. We really need to challenge our

acceptance of death

and injury in our roads and reduce the number from five deaths a day to zero a day, every day. Unrealistic? Other cities have managed this. This ‘vision zero’ is something we need to embrace and support. But what can be done? Three things:

The technology exists to limit car speeds or prevent a drunk person driving. Why is this not already fitted into every new car?

Our legal system has loopholes: it regularly gives licences to drivers who have killed.

Finally, let’s look ourselves in the mirror. Do we always stay within the speed limit? How often do we allow our mobile phone to distract us?

Let’s take these unnecessary deaths more seriously and strive to reach zero deaths on our roads. Mike Walton Byemail