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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Experts warn over A road safety | Experts warn over A road safety |
| (about 6 hours later) | |
| More than half of Britain's A roads have failed to be rated as safe in a study of 28,000 roads and motorways. | More than half of Britain's A roads have failed to be rated as safe in a study of 28,000 roads and motorways. |
| A quarter of motorways also rated poorly, the European road assessment programme (EuroRAP) found. | A quarter of motorways also rated poorly, the European road assessment programme (EuroRAP) found. |
| Single carriageway A roads were rated to be the most dangerous, with experts calling for better signs, lines, junctions and road surfaces. | |
| The Department of Transport said its new road safety strategy would cut speed limits on dangerous roads. | The Department of Transport said its new road safety strategy would cut speed limits on dangerous roads. |
| The programme found that 58% of A roads it assessed were found to be either neutral for safety or poor. | The programme found that 58% of A roads it assessed were found to be either neutral for safety or poor. |
| We've cut the number of people killed or seriously injured on the roads by more than a third since the mid-1990s Department of Transport spokesperson | We've cut the number of people killed or seriously injured on the roads by more than a third since the mid-1990s Department of Transport spokesperson |
| Some roads have a persistently bad record, such as the winding A537 from Macclesfield to Buxton which had 27 accidents resulting in deaths or serious injuries over two years, many of them involving motorbikes. | Some roads have a persistently bad record, such as the winding A537 from Macclesfield to Buxton which had 27 accidents resulting in deaths or serious injuries over two years, many of them involving motorbikes. |
| A four-mile stretch on the A675 between Higher Walton and the M65 at junction three, in Lancashire, was also highlighted, with more than half of all fatal or serious collisions occurring at junctions. | A four-mile stretch on the A675 between Higher Walton and the M65 at junction three, in Lancashire, was also highlighted, with more than half of all fatal or serious collisions occurring at junctions. |
| Of the "persistently higher risk roads", eight out of 10 were around the Buxton, Sheffield, Macclesfield and Yorkshire and Humberside areas. | Of the "persistently higher risk roads", eight out of 10 were around the Buxton, Sheffield, Macclesfield and Yorkshire and Humberside areas. |
| High risk | High risk |
| The report also noted the improvement made on a 27-mile stretch of road between Carmarthen and Llandovery in Wales where accidents were cut by more than 80%. | The report also noted the improvement made on a 27-mile stretch of road between Carmarthen and Llandovery in Wales where accidents were cut by more than 80%. |
| Dr Joanne Hill, director of the Road Safety Foundation which manages EuroRAP's work in the UK and Ireland, said: "It is the busy non-primary routes - the ones that take volumes of traffic at all hours between towns and villages across Britain - that the new survey shows represent the highest risk, accounting for 62% of all road deaths." | Dr Joanne Hill, director of the Road Safety Foundation which manages EuroRAP's work in the UK and Ireland, said: "It is the busy non-primary routes - the ones that take volumes of traffic at all hours between towns and villages across Britain - that the new survey shows represent the highest risk, accounting for 62% of all road deaths." |
| A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "We've cut the number of people killed or seriously injured on the roads by more than a third since the mid-1990s. That means almost 17,000 fewer deaths or serious injuries in a year. | A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "We've cut the number of people killed or seriously injured on the roads by more than a third since the mid-1990s. That means almost 17,000 fewer deaths or serious injuries in a year. |
| "But we know that safety on single carriageway A-roads remains a problem, which is why our new road safety strategy sets out plans for local authorities to reduce the speed limit on the most dangerous of these roads where this will have the greatest impact on fatal crashes." | "But we know that safety on single carriageway A-roads remains a problem, which is why our new road safety strategy sets out plans for local authorities to reduce the speed limit on the most dangerous of these roads where this will have the greatest impact on fatal crashes." |