There Has Been A Spike In Road Accidents In Newcastle In The Past Two Years

Councillors in Newcastle are urging the public to take greater care, as the number of road accidents being reported across the city has risen in the past two years.

During this time, there have been 19 cases of pedestrians being hit by buses in the city centre, BBC News reports.

The local authority believes many accidents are caused by people who are distracted when attempting to cross a road because they are either listening to music through headphones or sending a text message.

Labour council leader Nick Forbes told the news provider that a public safety campaign is important.

His thoughts were echoed by Alan Kennedy from the charity Road Safety GB, who was quoted as saying: "We certainly need many more publicity campaigns to raise awareness and get everyone who uses the roads to take more responsibility."

The majority of the accidents have been concentrated around the Bigg Market area, as well as Blackett Street, Market Street, Pilgrim Street and Grainger Street.

This is certainly not a problem that is exclusive to Newcastle, as accidents of this type are being reported more frequently across the globe.

A study conducted by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore in 2013 showed the number of serious injuries sustained by pedestrians wearing headphones has more than tripled in the past six years. This is perhaps unsurprising given the growing popularity of devices that play music.

Aside from launching awareness-raising campaigns, some local councils have enforced 20 mph speed limits in built-up areas and busy high streets and this seems to have helped reduce the number of collisions.

Last month, the Parliamentary Advisory Council For Transport Safety warned that a third of a million people will be killed on the UK's roads between 2010 and 2030 unless action is taken to improve safety standards.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a road traffic accident, our personal injury solicitors team could help to get the compensation, rehabilitation and support you deserve. Visit our Road Traffic Accident Compensation page for more information.

Expert Opinion

The statistics shown above are very concerning but, as mentioned, it perhaps isn’t surprising because of the increased popularity and the devices available to listen to music. <br/> <br/>“Both drivers and pedestrians need to be aware of their surroundings and not become distracted which can result in accidents occurring. Sadly we are very familiar with cases where accidents are caused by either a pedestrian or road user not being vigilant to road safety and the consequences can be catastrophic. <br/> <br/>“Campaigns have been put together to raise awareness to stop people using phones whilst driving because of distractions, but pedestrians also need to be vigilant when crossing roads. It is also worthwhile considering road layouts and road signage to see if they are causing potential issues. Either way such safety campaigns are important to help make people aware of the dangers they face and we welcome any campaigns which have the goal of reducing the number of incidents on roads across the UK.” <br/>