The chief executive of the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has spoken out against the latest rise in road casualty figures, claiming that they are "unacceptable".

Simon Best stated that it was of great concern that road deaths and injuries rose last year, especially as they usually drop during an economic recession.

"Ministers should take this as a serious warning. Cutting road safety education, scrapping casualty targets and reductions in local authority spending all suggest that road safety isn't a major priority for this government," he added.

Last year, road deaths rose by three per cent, while injuries increased by two per cent. The biggest increase in deaths was for pedestrians, which rose from 405 in 2010 to 453 in 2011.

The IAM recently discovered that councils had cut over £23 million from their road safety budgets last year.

Road safety charity Brake called on the government to act on these figures immediately, in order to prevent rising casualties and to make communities safer.

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Posted by Sarah Godfrey