The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) is very concerned at the alarming increase in road deaths in Britain, following the publication of the latest accident statistics from the Department for Transport today.

Figures just released show that overall casualties have risen for the first time in 18 years.

The IAM urges the government to take radical steps to reverse these worrying figures before they become a trend, in particular that pedestrian protection must not be ignored and moved much further up the agenda, and the decline in numbers of police traffic officers must be reversed.

Pedestrian fatalities increased by 12 per cent from 398 in 2013 to 446 in 2014, and vehicle traffic levels increased by 2.4 per cent between 2013 and 2014. In addition, the numbers of people killed on roads with a 20mph limit increased by 367 per cent.

These figures are greatly concerning and show the time for action is now.

We are clear on what needs to happen. We call again for road safety targets to be reintroduced.

Manufacturers should pursue developments like pop-up bonnets, pedestrian airbags and detector systems.

We also need better pedestrian facilities to segregate traffic and vulnerable users where speeds are high, and campaigns to educate pedestrians themselves as they are most often at fault in crashes.

Neil Greig