As a solicitor dealing with fatal accident and complex injury claims, Rosie Dodds has dealt with many serious road traffic accidents. These involve victims who were passengers, drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. Rosie highlights  a factor that often contributes to these accidents – SPEED.

According to the Department of Transport , 1,766 people were killed as a result of a road traffic accident in the UK in 2022 and 28,941 were seriously injured. This was an increase of 10% in deaths from the previous year and 8% in serious injuries.

The road safety charity, Brake report that, according to police records taken at the scene of the accident, travelling too fast or exceeding the speed limit was a contributory factor in 25% of the deaths recorded in 2022. This does not include the accidents where speed limits were found  to have been broken after the initial investigation at the scene.

Rosie has real experience of the police failing to accurately report speeding at the scene of a crime. “I recently settled a fatal claim involving a young pedestrian. The police failed to recognise that the driver, who admitted  travelling at around 30 to 35 mph, was speeding -  the speed limit for the road where the accident occurred was actually 20 mph.

“In my experience, the speed of the vehicle is often a contributing factor in road traffic accidents although this will not always be picked up in the initial investigation”.

In an effort to reduce accidents and provide advice to road users, Brake has developed a roadmap to safe and healthy journeys. In it, they advise that driving slowly is one of the most important things a driver can do to protect themselves and others. They suggest drivers take the following action:

• Staying well within speed limits - they are a limit, not a target
• Slowing down to 20mph around homes, schools and shops
• Taking extra care on rural roads, where the majority of driver and passenger deaths occur
• Reducing speed in bad weather
• Avoiding overtaking on single carriageways – it isn’t worth the risk!

No matter the reason that drivers feel it is necessary to exceed speed limits, it’s never worth the increased risk of potentially devastating consequences.

Rosie added: “I have seen, firsthand, the horrendous impact of road traffic accidents on victims and their families. As a solicitor, I can try to support them through these darks times and to help them navigate related litigation and court action, but all any of the victims really want is for the accident never to have happened. Protecting people, yourself and other road users, should always be prioritised over the speed of the journey.”

August 1 - August 31 - National Road Victim Month is held every August to remember people that have been killed or injured on our roads. As well as honouring people that have been lost and injured, it is also a great opportunity to raise awareness to make our roads safer.

If you need legal advice following a road traffic accident, contact our friendly professionals - call us on 0800 138 0458 or email help@switalskis.com.