IAM urges government to maintain road safety spend
Thursday 24 June 2010 Back to Blog
Continued investment in road safety spending is vital to saving thousands of lives a year, van leasing customers have been told.
According to research by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), setting casualty-reduction targets and funding them consistently not only saves lives but benefits the economy.
It found that, since targets were first introduced in 1990, an estimated 31,000 lives have been saved, benefiting the UK economy by £50 billion.
"IAM research shows that continued investment in road safety over the next few years will produce substantial rates of return to the economy," said Neil Greig, IAM director of policy and research.
"Our message is simple: spending on road safety saves money. Fewer casualties mean reduced NHS bills, fewer people absent from work, less congestion and much lower costs associated with long-term injuries."
The organisation is now urging the government to reconsider plans to cut road safety revenue funding by 27 per cent as part of its emergency Budget.
Road safety campaign group Brake has criticised the cuts, saying that it is "outraged" by the plans.