AA fears rise in road deaths due to spending cuts

The rise in road deaths in the second quarter of this year has raised fears spending cuts are starting to impact on safety.



Department for Transport provisional figures for the Spring showed that there were 500 deaths in reported road accidents in April-June.

This was 7% up on the same time last year and came at a time when there was 1% less traffic on the roads.

Six month figures, including the winter period, showed a 6% rise to 940 deaths on British roads.

Andrew Howard, the AA's head of road safety, said: "The rise in deaths in the first quarter of 2011 was, at least, understandable, as the awful weather in January-March 2010 kept people off the roads.

"But the rise in the second quarter of this year is of much greater concern.

"I am alarmed about this upward turn. It seems that cuts to road maintenance and road safety budgets and to traffic policing are beginning to bite."

Robert Gifford, executive director of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety, said: "The rise in deaths this year should sound alarm bells for ministers."