Road safety nonprofit Brake urges the UK fleet industry to urgently prioritize road risk management as government data reveals road collisions causing deaths and serious injuries involving vans, trucks and buses are sliding back towards pre-pandemic levels.

Brake calls on businesses and corporations to consider road safety a board-level business priority “to end the carnage.”

Analyzing the government’s latest data, Brake highlights the one in four pedestrian on-road deaths due to being hit by vans, trucks and buses. Other findings Blake uncovered include:

• Light goods vehicles (LGVs) were involved in 2,835 fatal or serious collisions (FSCs) in 2021 – 12% more than a decade ago and an increase of 24% on 2020. Eight FSCs per day involving LGVS occurred in 2021.

• Heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) were involved in 1,063 FSCs in 2021, 36% fewer than in 2012 but an increase of 7% over 2020. Three FSCs pre day involved HGVs in 2021.

• The UK surpasses many other European nations in 2021 road deaths per million population: UK – 24; Denmark – 22, Sweden – 19; and Norway – 15].

“The statistics present a saddening slide back towards pre-pandemic levels and, for vans, a long-term trend of increasing rates of involvement in collisions involving deaths and serious injuries,” said Mary Williams OBE, Brake chief executive,

“The statistics show why it is so important for corporations to take responsibility for managing their road risk through policies and procedures. Improved road risk management by employers, improved fleet safety rules and increased policing of fleet safety can help to put an end to the terrible carnage,” Williams pointed out.

Brake offers a free “Global Fleet Champions” campaign, which calls on corporations and governments across the world to take responsibility for at-work crashes involving fleet vehicles. Employers can also sign up for free to take part in November’s Road Safety Week.