Surrey County Council finally engages with its residents over the high number of killed and seriously injured (KSI) on its roads.

It has taken Surrey County Council and its councillors close to 20 years with numerous petitions, by individuals, civilian groups and from organisations such as ‘20s plenty’ to finally realise that there is no hiding from the high number of killed and seriously injured on its roads which is one of the highest in the country.

In total, 2,030 people were killed or seriously injured in collisions in Surrey between 2020 and 2022. More than a quarter of casualties were drivers, 22 per cent were cyclists, and 19 per cent were on powered two-wheelers, including motorcycles and mopeds. More than one in 10 of the total casualties was a pedestrian.

Road collision statistics in Surrey have hardly changed over the last ten years. In financial terms the cost of road collisions in Surrey was approximately £250 million in 2021. 

In 2021, 24 people were killed and 647 were seriously injured. Please see link to Surrey County Council’s officers report on its new ‘Vision Zero’ strategy here.

Historically councillors have said that “the police wont enforce slower speeds” but even the police are saying Speeding linked to a third of all serious and fatal crashes in Surrey – with half of all tragic collisions taking place on 30mph urban roads.

Local constituents have long petitioned the Surrey County Council for slower speeds how many lives could have been saved if they had been prepared to listen over 20 years ago when local residents first began petitioning them.

Surrey County Council has finally launched ‘Vision Zero Surrey’ with the intention of reducing the high number of killed and seriously injured on its roads.

I am sure local communities are grateful that Surrey County Council is finally ready to address this concerning issue so please don’t lose the opportunity to have an input into safer roads for our communities now that Surrey County Council has finally woken up to the impact collisions have on their communities.  

This is on Surrey County Council’s own website asking local constituents how best to reduce casualties in their constituencies: Vision Zero Surrey. Thought you might be interested.

VC Leake

Lower Street, Haslemere