Brake is calling for a new Charter for Road Safety Victims during Road Safety Week

Every road victim deserves support at the highest level, says road safety charity Brake, as it puts road traffic victims front and center during Road Safety Week this week (17 to 23 November).

To mark the beginning of Road Safety Weekthe charity’s largest annual road safety campaign, Brake is launching a new Road Victims Charter, demanding vital action to ensure all people affected by road accidents receive the respect, support and justice they deserve.

The Charter includes a call for the Government to set national standards for accident response and commit to extending the rights set out in the Victims Code to those affected by road damage, regardless of where they live and whether a crime has occurred.

The Charter for Road Traffic Victims was written in collaboration with surviving relatives, trauma consultants, support staff and professionals from the criminal justice and medical sectors.

It will be launched today (Monday, November 18) at 3pm at a drop-in event for MPs in Westminster.

Ross Moorlock, CEO of Brake, said: “Road casualties are not just statistics. Behind each song is a grief-stricken family whose lives are forever changed forever in the blink of an eye.

“The demand for our services continues to grow, because the number of road deaths and injuries does not appear to be decreasing. Every year more families suffer the devastating consequences of a traffic accident. Every year more and more families come to us in their darkest and most difficult times.

“By comparison, at government level, funding for support for road traffic victims is inadequate – so we and other charities caring for bereaved and seriously injured families rely on the generosity of other supporters to fund our vital work. We know that the right support at the right time can change the course of someone’s life.”

In 2023, the charity’s National Road Victim Service has provided specialist emotional and practical support to more than 1,500 families across the UK, helping them cope with their grief and navigate the complex procedures that often follow a road accident, involving the numbers will be even higher. in 2024.

At any one time, around 700 families of road traffic victims receive support from Brake, including parents, grandparents, siblings, friends and people who have witnessed a traumatic incident.

Many of the families supported have been involved in multi-fatal accidents, and approximately 7% of support cases involve the death of a child. About 12% of support cases involve someone considered high risk or vulnerable.

Moorlock said: “Every road casualty deserves the very highest standard of support and for that to happen we need a co-ordinated approach and national standards that meet best practice for post-accident response.

“We need national, multi-year funding to provide support to the affected community of road traffic victims, so that every family can access trauma-informed, face-to-face support within their community, depending on their needs.

“Traffic victims have been forgotten and neglected for far too long and that must change.

“Our families have told us what they want and what they need – and that includes recognition of the trauma of sudden road deaths and injuries, equality with other victim groups, sentences that fit the crime and lessons learned to help future prevent traffic fatalities and injuries.

“Until we achieve a world where no one is killed or injured on the road, we will continue to do everything we can to ensure that everyone affected by road deaths and injuries receives the respect, support and justice they deserve .”

Brake has also published the results of a poll conducted in April 2024, which showed that 79% of respondents agree or strongly agree that families bereaved or seriously injured in a road accident should be able to access the same level of support such as homicide cases. victims.

A further 74% agree that they should be able to access the same level of support as victims of terrorism.

More than 3,300 educators, employers, emergency services and others have registered to participate in Road Safety Week 2024, representing more than four million people.

Brake has provided free resources including lesson plans for schools, social media images, films, posters and a webinar for employers.

Fleet news and Brake each hold webinars during Road Safety Week to help employers and fleets keep their drivers and other road users safe.

Find out from Fleet news how to minimize costs and keep drivers safe with a robust system accident management strategy.