We don’t tolerate carnage on the railways, so why is it accepted on the roads?

Anna Semlyen, Vision Zero UK

04 September 2015

Anna Semlyen is co-founder, with professor John Whitelegg, of Vision Zero UK (www.visionzero.org.uk). She is an award-winning campaigner and national campaign manager of 20’s Plenty for Us, the author of Cutting your car use, and a former City of York councillor.

My goal is a kinder, more civilised world. My focus is on road safety, as roads are where I’m most likely to die early. I’ve twice been injured on roads while cycling by drivers cutting me up from the left.

Road deaths and serious injuries in Britain are rising, especially for the vulnerable, such as cyclists and older people. The costs associated with our dangerous roads are huge – the equivalent of £500+ per person per year if we take into account injury and damage...