This week marks Road Safety Week, is the UK’s biggest road safety event coordinated by road safety charity Brakeand backed by the Department of Transport.
Every week at NRC Medical Experts we’re asked to assess and provide reports for individuals who have experienced life-changing injuries as a result of road traffic accidents. When it comes to making our roads safer, this Road Safety Week, think about your speed.
According to Brake, in a crash, just one mile per hour can mean the difference between life and death, but we know that people still regularly break speed limits or travel too fast for the conditions of the road. With someone injured on a UK road every four minutes, and vehicle speed playing a part in every crash, it’s time to come together to say that there is No Need to Speed. When it comes to road safety, it’s simple: speed matters.
In 2019, nearly 26,000 people were seriously injured in road traffic accidents, out of over 150,000 reported casualties of all severities. Every 20 minutes, someone is killed or seriously injured on a British road. While that figure is very high, it is 5% lower than in 2018 and is the lowest level on record, so our streets are getting safer.
According to NICE, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence every year, 700,000 people visit A&E departments with a head injury and around 140,000 of those will be admitted for treatment.
When people survive a severe road traffic accident, they can be left with very significant injuries – including brain and spinal injuries which can lead to life-long disabilities. Though brain injuries can have many causes, in the UK nearly half of all acquired brain injuries are as a result of road traffic accidents.
Recovery from a brain injury can be a very long and challenging journey. Good neurorehabilitation requires the expertise of a team of skilled nurses, consultant in rehabilitation and therapists –physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists and neuropsychologists and neuropsychiatrists who support people’s mental wellbeing. Meet our Experts who specialise in all areas of neurorehabilitation.
To find out how you can support Road Safety Week 2020, visit http://roadsafetyweek.org.uk.