How lockdown positively affected our roads.
A study from GOV UK has found that from March 2020 our UK roads have seen a decrease in all motor vehicle traffic by 27.0% and a massive decline in casualties due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
With these statistics we are diving deeper into what this means for our industry, road workers and users alike.
Below outlines the key details of the differences that have been recorded during the lockdown months;
Traffic Population
Provisional estimates show motor vehicles travelled 257.2 billion vehicle miles in Great Britain for the year ending March 2021.
When compared to the year ending March 2020:
all motor vehicle traffic decreased by 27.0%
car traffic decreased by 31.0% to 189.1 billion vehicle miles
van traffic decreased by 14.2% to 47.9 billion vehicle miles
lorry traffic decreased by 6.8% to 16.2 billion vehicle miles
traffic on motorways decreased by 32.8% to 46.8 billion vehicle miles
traffic on ‘A’ roads decreased by 28.3% to 106.0 billion vehicle miles
traffic on minor roads decreased by 22.7% to 104.3 billion vehicle miles
Details quoted from - Provisional road traffic estimates, Great Britain: April 2020 to March 2021
Provisional road traffic estimates, Great Britain: April 2020 to March 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Road Casualties
"The recent trends in reported road casualties have been impacted by the national restrictions implemented from March 2020 onwards following the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Alongside the provisional release, we have published a second report investigating the impact on reported road casualties, displaying monthly trends.
Provisional statistics on reported road casualties in Great Britain for 2020 show that there were:
1,472 reported road deaths, a decrease of 16% from 2019
115,333 casualties of all severities in 2020, down by 25% from 2019
casualties saw the greatest monthly percentage decrease of 68% in April 2020, compared to 3-year average for 2017 to 2019"
Details quoted from - Reported road casualties Great Britain, provisional results: 2020
Reported road casualties Great Britain, provisional results: 2020 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
What do our operatives do to stay on top of changes?
Our Operational Delivery Services (ODS) team carry out continuous training to maintain the highest level of safety for their day to day roles, major projects and on-site duties.
With this, the importance of competence and preparation for all case scenarios is essential to keep both our workers and road users seen and safe across the UK network.
How can you help?
When on the road, there are many ways that you can ease risks to yourselves and others, below are some that we believe could assist in keeping the low rates of fatalities:
Paying attention to your own safety is as important as thinking about the safety for others.
Follow speed limits and obey road work restrictions.
Maintain a safe distance, no matter the weather conditions.
Don't drink and drive.
Keeping your car in good shape can ensure road safety.
Drive smart - Common sense can help you avoid accidents.
Respect road workers and users.
Encourage active travel - ride a bike or walk when you can.
Highway Care support the Brake road safety charity, who work with communities and organisations across the UK to stop the tragedy of road deaths and injuries, make streets and communities safer for everyone, and support people bereaved and seriously injured on roads.
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