National Road Victim Month
Each August in the UK we mark National Road Victim Month to remember people that have been killed or injured on our roads. It also acts as a great opportunity to raise awareness to make our roads safer.
National Road Victim Month was founded by RoadPeace in 1998. August was chosen as the designated month for the annual campaign, in honour of Princess Diana, who was killed in a car crash in Paris on 31 August, 1997, and in memory of Bridget Driscoll, the first ever UK road crash victim, killed by a car in London on 17 August, 1896. Since then, there has sadly been over half a million deaths on the roads in Britain.
August actually sees more fatalities on UK roads than any other month. This is down to more vehicles being on the road due to holidaymakers and children are off school so are out and about with friends, meaning more pedestrians.
Over the last decade, the number of people killed on Britain’s roads has stayed at more or less the same level year on year. Five people are killed every day, and over 60 are seriously injured.
And it’s not just cars, statistically motorcyclists are the most vulnerable road users in the UK. Despite accounting for less than 1% of all road traffic in Scotland, bikers account for 20% of road deaths. The dedicated ‘Live Fast Die Old’ website offers expert Motorcyclist tips, dedicated Motorcyclists routes around Scotland, and other engaging content to help keep you safe on the road.
For more information on how you can keep yourself and other motorists safe visit the Road Safety Scotland website