TfL launches online data platform to raise awareness of road collisions in London

TfL has today unveiled its new Vision Zero Dashboard tool, which will enable organisations and members of the public to more easily access and interpret London's collision data which is recorded by the police.

By sharing data in this way, TfL and partner organisations can better identify the road danger challenges specific to their communities and work together with London's boroughs and agencies to tackle them.

The Vision Zero Dashboard - located on the TfL website - visualises TfL's published collision statistics, complementing the data TfL has already made publicly available. Users can now easily filter the raw data based on key fields such as injury severity, location, date/time and by mode.

New maps, charts and data visualisation tools compare collision data across the years and by location, making the data easier to understand.

The Vision Zero Dashboard

The new dashboard shows collision data from 2017 to 2019. Data from future years will be added in due course, with plans for further analysis capability including being able to identify casualty rates by kilometre travelled.

There were 25,341 reported collisions on London's streets in 2019, resulting in 125 people killed and more than 26,000 injured, with an additional 3,780 injured seriously.

People walking, cycling and motorcycling made up 81% of all people killed or seriously injured, highlighting the need for urgent lifesaving measures including segregated cycle lanes, 20mph speed limits, Low Traffic Neighbourhoods, the removal of lorry blind spots and improved motorcycle training, which all aim to protect the most vulnerable on the capital's streets.

Provisional data* has shown that 96 people died on London's roads in 2020. Last year, 31 motorcyclists were killed on London's roads - equalling the 2019 total - with 45 people tragically dying while walking and six cycling.

These stark figures serve as a reminder for Londoners to drive safely and within the speed limit - especially during the ongoing national lockdown with increased numbers of people walking and cycling - as unsafe driving puts additional strain on the NHS at this time of national emergency.

As part of their joint Vision Zero commitment to eliminate death and serious injury from London's roads, the Metropolitan Police and City of London Police continue to target speeding and other unsafe driving across London's roads every day.

During the first lockdown police recorded speeds of more than 130mph but even relatively small increases in speed are known to raise risks to drivers and vulnerable road users such as people walking, cycling and riding motorcycles.

Will Norman, London's Walking and Cycling Commissioner, said: 'Every death on London's roads is one too many which is why we are determined to eliminate these tragedies through our Vision Zero action plan. The launch of our new online dashboard is key to achieving this goal as making collision data more accessible is useful not only for TfL and partner organisations, but also the public.

'It also serves as a timely reminder about the importance of driving safely and sticking to speed limits to protect all road users, especially those who are most vulnerable.'

Lilli Matson, TfL's Chief Safety, Health and Environment Officer, said: 'Vision Zero is at the heart of the Mayor's Transport Strategy and reflects TfL's fundamental belief that no death or serious injury on London's road and transport network is acceptable or inevitable.

'As we continue to take action to reduce road danger, we need to ensure that the public and our stakeholders can access and interpret our collision data easily.

'Our new Vision Zero Dashboard does just that by visualising our collision data, making clearer than ever the appalling consequences suffered by thousands of people in London each year. Behind every collision there is a tragedy experienced by a person's family, their friends and their community.

'We'd like to thank the drivers who are protecting their local communities by driving safely and within the speed limit. Action will be taken against anyone on our roads found to be putting Londoners at risk.'

Victoria Lebrec, Head of Policy, Campaigns and Communications at Roadpeace, said: 'The dashboard is very welcome. Whilst it is data that is already available, making it easier to access and visualise is important because it will help Londoners to understand the extent that road danger is impacting their community.

'People often are surprised by the frequency and severity of crashes, and I hope that this dashboard will allow campaigners and the public alike to question what more can be done to prevent crashes in London. Well done TfL for providing the tools for themselves and the other agencies in the capital to be held to account.'

Eliminate death and serious injury from London's roads

Joshua Harris, Director of Campaigns at Brake, the road safety charity, said: 'Eliminating road death and serious injury in London will require coordination, collaboration and effort from everyone with a stake in the safety of our roads - from the Mayor and TfL down to me, you and all road users.

'The Vision Zero dashboard lays bare the scale of the challenge ahead but will also be a vital tool to help us reach our goal - zero deaths and serious injuries, and safer roads in the capital for everyone.

'In previous lockdowns we saw a troubling increase in excessive speeding. Now, with the emergency services under more strain than ever, it is vital that drivers play their part in the national effort, only travelling if essential and always keeping well within speed limits.'

Mary Creagh, Chief Executive, Living Streets said: 'As lockdown continues, it is vital that everyone, young and old, has the right to walk safely on London's streets. This data shows that pedestrians continue to suffer the greatest number of fatalities on London's roads, despite much lower car use last year.

'This must change. The Vision Zero dashboard is a powerful tool which shows why we need slower speeds and safer crossings, and crucially, allows people to pinpoint where we need them. I urge people to use it to campaign for the changes they want to see locally, to achieve zero harm on our streets.'

In July 2018 the Mayor, TfL and Metropolitan Police launched a bold Vision Zero Action Plan to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on London's streets by 2041.

Each year more than 4,000 people are killed or seriously injured on our roads, taking a devastating toll on the people involved, their families and communities across the capital.

London's pioneering Direct Vision Standard will play a vital role in eliminating death and serious injuries from London's streets.

Introduced with the support of London Councils, it is set to reduce lethal blind spots by introducing a permit system for HGVs, assigning vehicles a star rating based on how much the driver can see directly through their cab window.

All owners of HGVs over 12 tonnes - including those rated between 1 and 5* - will need to display a valid permit to continue operating the capital.

Last year, lower speed limits were introduced across the central London TfL road network. A review is underway to identify how these limits can be expanded to further streets across central London - including next to cycle lanes - to offer further protection to vulnerable road users.

Since May 2020, 90km of new or upgraded cycle routes have been delivered or are under construction in response to coronavirus to help enable Londoners to safely get around our city. In addition:

• 86km of 24/7 bus lanes have been introduced
• 22,000 sqm of carriageway has been allocated to pedestrians
• 20 green man authority sites now give priority to pedestrians
• 88 Low Traffic Neighbourhoods introduced
• 317 new School Streets are in place

Notes to editors

• TfL's Vision Zero Dashboard is available on the TfL website here. Collision data is recorded by the Metropolitan Police Service and the City of London Police
• The Vision Zero Action Plan is available here: https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/safety-and-security/road-safety/vision-zero-for-london
• Overall, 2019 shows a continuing decline in the number of people killed or seriously injured on London's roads compared to the 2005-09 baseline, helping TfL towards its Vision Zero goal. However, the rate of the decline has slowed in recent years
• TfL is taking firm action to tackle unsafe behaviour and speeding to make London's roads safe. TfL funds the Metropolitan Police Service's Roads and Transport Policing Command (RTPC), which is the largest police command in the UK. The RTPC is made up of more than 2,000 officers who are dedicated to policing London's streets, focusing on the most dangerous drivers and carrying out widespread high visibility roadside operations and patrols

*2020 provisional statistics: Road safety

• In 2020, provisional statistics show that 96 people have tragically died on London's roads, including 31 motorcyclists, 45 pedestrians and six cyclists. The final collision data for 2020 deaths and serious injuries will be published later in the year once it has been fully verified by police forces