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Road casualties on the rise as Covid eases
Road deaths and injuries rise after end of Covid lockdowns
● Provisional Government data reveals a seven per cent increase
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Chris Rosamond
Chris _ Rosamond@autovia.co.uk
THERE were 1,560 fatalities on Britain’s roads in 2021, according to provisional official Government statistics released last week, which is a seven per cent increase on the number recorded the previous year.
A drastic reduction in traffic levels due to Covid lockdowns saw road casualty rates fall enormously in 2020, but as restrictions relaxed and traffic returned to the roads, figures show that death and injury rates also began to climb again.
Jack Cousens, who leads on roads policy for the AA, says the organisation had been hoping that the reduction in road injuries could be sustained for longer.
“Sadly that wasn’t the case, ” he said. “The one glimmer of hope is that the total number of casualties last year remains lower than pre-pandemic levels, so we need that to be the turning point in order to make our roads as safe as possible. ”
A rise in the number of people cycling over the past two years was accompanied by a spike in fatalities amongst cyclists in 2020, yet that figure dropped by a fifth in 2021. But e-scooters continue to cause problems, and Cousens said there are still lessons to be learned about the incidents e-scooters are involved in, and the injuries they cause.
“While the number of collisions increased significantly from 2020, initial reporting shows that riders are more likely to hurt themselves rather than others, ” he said.
While e-scooters are legal in only a few trial schemes, evidence suggests their users have fewer incidents than illegal riders.
“Despite the fact e-scooters are only legal through rental schemes, some police forces
OFFICIAL
ACCIDENTS
Deaths and injuries on British roads have gone up following the relaxation of Covid lockdowns
have been collecting data on the types of owner. Interestingly, Nottinghamshire Police recorded more private e-scooter injuries compared with those in rental schemes, which highlights the need to properly regulate e-scooter specifications before allowing them on our roads, ” he added.
RAC head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes said: “Our research suggests there is a huge level of concern among drivers about the standard of driving on our roads.
“We urge the Government to consider re-introducing road safety targets, ” he added. “They should also look at whether the long-term decline in full-time road traffic police officers has led to a worsening in driver behaviour and an increase in casualties as a result. ”
Is police visibility an issue?
OUR investigation into UK traffic policing (Issue EXCLUSIVE 1,712) revealed declining numbers of patrols and Our report revealed how police poor training. With increasing reliance on video officers were concerned by the evidence supplied by members of the public reduction in traffic cop numbers to prosecute offenders, officers believe a lack of visible policing means some drivers will take more chances.
NEWSINVESTIGATION Road-trafficpolicing EXCLUSIVE: Police federatio slams ‘invisible’ traffic polici n n ● ● Standards and number of road police has declined Traffic officers increasingly forced to do non-traffic jobs
TristanShale-Hester
tristan _ shale-hester@autovia.co.uk @tristan _ shale After is in an Auto disarray, Express investigation reveals UK the Police Federation’s top traffic roads policing cop speaks out
Road-trafficpolicing NEWSINVESTIGATION o i n ng How dire is the roads policing? WE pulled these quotes from a damning HM Inspectorate of Constabulary report on roads policing published in May 2020 during the first lockdown. It paints a bleak picture of cuts, inadequate state of UK training and strategic failures. HM Inspector of Constabulary Matt Parr told us: “Since the report Main report findings:
OFFICIAL Police use portal to review evidence uploaded by drivers as traffic cop numbers decrease Dash-cam footage increasingly used to target traffic offenders NEWS Policingusingdash-camfootage WE training and strategic failures.
www.autoexpress.co.uk 14 5January2022 ● ● ● “Roads policing in some forces “Often capability and capacity “Lack of co-ordination hinders is inadequate” don’t meet demand” effective engagement with partners and the public”
POLICE are increasingly using dash-cam footage posted online by motorists to pursue traffic offenders, as the number of specialised traffic patrols declines. Official police data supplied to Auto Express shows the number of traffic officers patrolling UK roads has fallen by 16 per cent since 2015, following a longer-term trend. Meanwhile, 38 of the UK’s 45 police forces have adopted the National Dash Cam Safety Portal, a website launched three years ago by dash-cam maker Nextbase, which allows drivers to upload footage of alleged traffic offences for the police to review. More than 50,000 clips have been uploaded, and Nextbase says a third have resulted in police action, from warning letters to prosecutions. PC Lee Barton of West Mercia Police road policing division, said that 98 per cent of the uploads his force deals with result in police action, but only two per cent are for serious offences such as dangerous driving. He added:
“Dealing with a reported traffic offence has gone from hours of police work down to minutes. People are now reporting things that happened on the road when they previously wouldn’t have bothered. ” According to Barton, on a typical 10-hour shift in a patrol car, two officers might pull over an average of five vehicles among other duties, whereas one officer can follow
TristanShale-Hester tristan _ shale-hester@autovia.co.uk @tristan _ shale
up a far greater number of cases in the same time via the website. Chief Inspector Rob Dickinson, who oversees Cheshire Police’s roads and crime unit, says virtual policing lets him deploy traffic officers across a range of duties.
“This model enables us to target organised criminality using current intelligence and officers being tasked through an operations room with the aim of making Cheshire a truly hostile environment for criminals, ” he said. The changing emphasis hasn’t been welcomed on all sides. “A camera can record incidents, but it can’t stop them from happening. We would like to have seen some traffic officers in the extra 20,000 police announcedlastyearbythe government, ” an AA spokesman said. Silie Carlo, director of campaign group Big Brother Watch, added:
“The ANPR network already surveils innocent drivers and captures 40 million photos a day. The last thing we need to encourage is spying on each other. ”
“More than 50,000 clips have been uploaded, and Nextbase says a third have result in police action, letters from warning to prosecutions”
Motorists can upload footage to the National Dash Cam Safety Portal if they have captured potential traffic offences i dd d 1414 20/12/202120/12/2021 18:1518:15 MATT PARR HM Inspector of Constabulary
“PEOPLE using our roads every day have the right to feel secure and be kept safe. They deserve dedicated, professional, well trained police officers, and it is frustrating to witness them being let down by roads policing that has become virtually invisible, ” says one of Britain’s most experienced traffic cops. Tim Rogers enrolled as a police officer in 1995, spending most of his career as a traffic cop – including 10 years as a roaddeath investigator. He’s now the Police Federation’s national driver training and pursuits lead, and he opened up to Auto Express about the dire state of UK roads policing following our exposé of cuts to traffic officer numbers and the rise of policing by citizen-supplied dash-cam footage (Issue 1,710, top right). “Back in 2009, West Midlands Police –which is my force – had 20 different small traffic divisions, and we’d be putting out around 30 cars every day, ” Rogers told us. “Then you think about what we’d have inside those cars in terms of the training, skill and ability needed to be classed as a traffic officer able to deal with myriad road-traffic offences. ” These standards have slipped over time due to budget cuts, Rogers told us, which has led to a decline in expertise in all areas. “Government is saying there’ll be 20,000 additional bobbies, but they’re just putting back what they’ve taken from policing over a number of years, and with insufficient thought about the infrastructure that also disappeared as part of those cutbacks, including the investment in training. In three years’ time, 30 per cent of the workforce will have less than five years’ service, ” he said. “To train people to an adequate level to deal with the issues on the road takes years, it takes a lot of investment and we simply haven’t got that. So we’re going to be playing catch-up for 10 or 15 years. ” “We police by the consent of the public. A dash cam can identify an offence and a summons can be sent out, but 60 per cent of people who commit a road-traffic offence are involved in other criminality. We’re missing that, and it’s what the public wants us to deal with to keep them safe. “The standard of driving is pretty appalling, but the people you’re going Cuts have led to a decline in all areas of policing, Rogers says, not just in traffic cops
To train people to an adequate level to deal with the issues on the road takes years, it takes a lot of investment and we simply haven’t got that. So we’re going to be playing catch-up for 10 or 15 years
TIM ROGERS Driver training lead, Police Federation
to moderate by sending out letters are those like me, who’ll take greater care. Is that who we want to be targeting as a police service? Potentially alienating them, while the highlevel criminals continue to drive like idiots?”
“That’s why we need that bobby interacting with drivers and getting hands on, ” said Rogers. “But most feel undervalued, and their roles diluted. “Ask traffic officers nowadays what percentage of their time is spent on roads policing, ” he continued, “and they’ll say very little, as they’re pushed from pillar to post and mismanaged with jobs that have nothing to do with road safety. ”
We police by the consent of the public. A dash cam can identify an offence and a summons can be sent out, but 60 per cent of people who commit a road-traffic offence are involved in other criminality. We’re missing that, and it’s what the public wants us to deal with to keep them safe
TIM ROGERS Driver training lead, Police Federation www.autoexpress.co.uk Does the UK need a National Roads Police Force?
ONE previously mooted solution to the problems of roads policing is the creation of a nationwide road-traffic police force, following a similar model to the British Transport Police. The idea was first raised when Theresa May was Home Secretary and although it’s not something that’s officially being actioned at the moment, Auto Express understands the Department for Transport (DfT) is keeping it on the table in discussions with the Home Office, in case funding for roads policing continues to decline. For now, it’s more likely that police and crime commissioners will be advised to dedicate more funds to road policing. Advocates of a national force believe it would address the common problem of roads police being diverted to non-traffic incidents. Another issue that could be dealt with is the lack of standardised training requirements for police officers to serve as traffic cops, which has resulted in a lack of expertise as described in the HM Inspectorate of Constabulary report (right).Somefundingcould alsobe ringfenced for traffic policing under an independent body. But there’s resistance to the idea as well. The Metropolitan Police, for example, supplies hundreds of officers to police London City and Heathrow Airports, with funding for them from the airport operators. Such arrangements lead to hesitancy among forces for any shake-ups.
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We want to hear your views, so do contact us by E-mail to: mail@autoexpress.co.uk
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“The number of dedicated roads policing officers has declined, while their responsibilities for supporting general policing have increased. In some cases, resources have been reduced without any understanding of demand. ” “Between 2013 and 2019, the expenditure for roads policing has reduced by about 34 per cent in real terms, which is approximately £120million. ” “At the time of our inspection one force’s staffing was 20 per cent below the minimum required level. As a result, roads-policing patrols stopped at 2am. ”
“One supervisor told us officers in his roads-policing unit weren’t experienced or trained in all required skills. ”
Fixed-penalty tickets issued for traffic offences 2011 to 2018
THIS chart illustrates the decline in numbers of fixed-penalty tickets issued for certain road traffic offences in England and Wales. Fixed penalties for speeding, which have increased, are excluded from this graph because they are identified mainly by cameras.
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14/01/202214/01/2022 15:5115:51
Prodrive P25 marks 25th birthday of Impreza WRC
MOTORSPORT specialist Prodrive has confirmed that it is working on a new restomod version of the Subaru Impreza to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the World Rally Car version of the famous model.
The P25 will be more powerful and lighter than its inspiration, the Impreza 22B, which was a limited-edition model created by Subaru in 1998 to commemorate the company’s motorsport successes.
Power will come from a 2.5-litre flat-four boxer engine that will produce more than 400bhp. It will be paired with a six-speed semi-automatic gearbox. The firm plans to build 25 examples of the new creation at its Oxfordshire headquarters.
The bodyshell, with extensive carbon fibre, has been styled by Peter Stevens, the man behind the lookof the first Impreza WRC.
The P25 is due to make its debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this month. It will cost over £500,000, but Prodrive said about half of the cars had been sold within 48 hours of the project’s announcement. LOOKS FAMILIAR
Prodrive’s P25 takes its inspiration from the World Rally Championshipwinning Subaru Impreza
news inbrief
Caterham’s racecar for the road on sale now
CATERHAM has launched a new ‘trackfocused’ model called the 420 Cup (above) – a road-going version of the Seven UK Championship racer.
Its 2.0-litre Ford Duratec engine produces 210bhp and 203Nm of torque, and is linked to a six-speed sequential gearbox. The wheels are shod in Avon ZZR Extreme rubber, fully adjustable Bilstein dampers are fitted all round, and the car has had a motorsport-inspired makeover. Production starts in 2023, but it’s on sale now, from £54,990.
Huge pay-out to settle VW emissions scandal
THE Volkswagen Group has agreed to pay out a £193million settlement to owners in England and Wales affected by the dieselgate scandal, without making “any admission in respect of liability, causation or loss” .
Buyers who participated in the Volkswagen NOx Emissions Group Litigation will be in line for a share of the payout. VW hasn’t admitted liability, but the High Court decided in 2020 that the firm had installed ‘defeat devices’ in its cars to cheat emission tests.
Polestar will unveil its new SUV in October
POLESTAR’S next new model will be revealed in October, it has been confirmed. The Polestar 3 will be an allelectric SUV to rival the likes of the BMW iX3, and the vehicle tasked with placing greater differentiation between Polestar and parent firm Volvo, by establishing the brand’s own design language.
A teaser image (below) hints at how cues from the firm’s Precept luxury saloon concept could translate into an SUV. CONVERTIBLE
Drop-top version of the MC20 carries a c.£25,600 premium over the £190,275 coupé
Maserati raises the roof with MC20 Cielo
SeanCarson
sean _ carson@autovia.co.uk
MASERATI has followed up its MC20 coupé by unveiling a convertible version of the mid-engined supercar. It’s called the MC20 Cielo, and takes it name from the Italian word for ‘sky’ .
The Cielo has a large, retractable glass roof panel that takes 12 seconds to raise or lower electrically at speeds up to 30mph. Featuring Polymer-Dispersed Liquid Crystal (PDLC) technology, the panel can either be fully opaque or fully transparent, and instantly switch between the two at the touch of a button.
Fitting the roof mechanism and some extra structural bracing adds 65kg to the coupé’s 1,500kg kerbweight, but Maserati’s head of global product planning, Francesco Tonon, said the brand has “achieved the same level of performance as the coupé” . This means the 621bhp 3.0-litre twin-turbo ‘Nettuno’ V6 engine will propel the MC20 Cielo from 0-62mph in less than three seconds.
The MC20 Cielo also ushers in tweaks for the 2023 model year, with a new digital drive mode selector and other small trim and equipment tweaks inside.
On sale now, the MC20 Cielo carries a price premium of 30,000 Euros (around £25,600) over the £190,275 coupé. Deliveries begin at the end of the year. ROOF MC20 Cielo features a retractable glass roof that can switch from transparent to opaque at the touch of a button
Maxus reveals UK’s first electric pick-up truck
THE electrification race has largely passed the pick-up truck market by, but that is changing with the Maxus T90EV, the first electric pick-up for the UK market.
An 89kWh battery feeds a rearmounted 201bhp motor, while claimed WLTP city range and payload stand at 198 miles (so around 130 miles combined) and 740kg respectively.
Kit includes a 10.25-inch screen and rear camera, and prices will be revealed closer to sales commencing in August. Electric pick-up was revealed at CV Show
