From today motorists and passengers face fines of £60 as a deterrent for minor safety offences
In the latest safety initiative by the government, the penalty fines for not wearing a seatbelt will rise from £30 to £60 from today.  The penalty for motorists who have deliberately disguised or altered their number plates has also doubled to £60, as a reaction to concerns from the police that their warnings are… read more

14% fall in number of people killed in road accidents in 2008
Encouraging news from the government has revealed another drop in the number of people killed in accidents on the road.  2,538 people lost their lives on UK roads in 2008, which is the lowest figure since records began back in 1926. The 14% reduction comes on the back of less impressive news from the European Road Assessment Programme… read more

Experts warn of design failings leading to accident hotspots
A major study of Britain’s 28,000 numbered roads and motorways has revealed that over half of the A-road network rated either neutral or poor in terms of safety. The story was reported on the BBC website today.

The study, conducted by the European road assessment programme (EuroRAP) found that in addition to 58% of A-roads failing the assessment, a quarter… read more

Government declines request for public enquiry into accidents

The government has announced plans to hold 2 separate inquests into the fatal train crashes at Grayrigg in Cumbria in 2007 and at Potters Bar in 2002, despite calls from families of the victims for a joint public enquiry into both accidents.  Between the two crashes, 8 people died and over 150 were injured.  Relatives had been calling for a joint… read more

Councillor demands action to curb road accident deaths
I read an interesting article recently about a Bradford councillor who was calling on the government to provide more money for road safety schemes in a bid to cut the number of road traffic accidents in her town.  Bradford and the wider Yorkshire area currently sees one of the highest accident rates in the country for serious injuries and fatalities.

New… read more

Compensation claim could have widespread implications
A claim launched by a teacher from East Sussex could have widespread implications for people injured on publicly-owned land.  Doreen Prior was injured by a falling tree branch whilst on a country walk.  She has launched a £300,000 claim for compensation against the Environment Agency, accusing the agency of breaching its duty to ensure the public can safely use its land.

Mrs Prior… read more

Passengers have lucky escape after train leaves rails near Liverpool
Authorities on Merseyside are breathing a sigh of relief after a train derailment in Liverpool that could have turned into a major accident left only 1 person with minor injuries.

The accident happened on the railway line between Liverpool and Preston, when a train travelling from Blackpool towards Liverpool Lime Street Station came off the rails last night, leaving… read more