Serious injury collisions report

The Met must ensure training for Met officers attending collision scenes is strengthened to increase public trust in the way serious traffic collisions are investigated.

That is the view of the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee that has published its report – ‘Police investigation of serious injury collisions in London’ – which highlights the importance of justice for victims, and informing future preventative interventions.

In 2022, 23,465 road collisions were reported to the police in London, compared to 25,637 in 2019.^[1]

These collisions resulted in 102 people being killed, 3,859 people seriously injured and 23,246 people slightly injured.

The Mayor's Transport Strategy sets out his goal for Vison Zero for London. It states that the Mayor’s aim is for “all deaths and serious injuries from all road collisions to be eliminated from the streets by 2041”.^[2] Vision Zero includes the following targets:

• By 2022 – reduce the number of people who are killed or seriously injured by 65 per cent against 2005-09 levels
• By 2030 – reduce the number of people who are killed or seriously injured by 70 per cent against 2010-14 levels
• By 2041 – eliminate all deaths and serious injuries from road collisions from London’s streets.^[3]

RoadPeace, the national charity for road crash victims, has said that:

“A good investigation is essential to achieving justice and reducing road danger – without this, law breaking escapes detection, fair compensation is hampered, prevention programmes are limited, victims suffer secondary victimisation, and public lack confidence in police interest in protecting them, thus deterring many from walking and cycling. It is the cornerstone for justice on our roads”.^[4]

The Committee’s report outlines 11 recommendations for the Met and the Mayor to improve the current investigative processes when responding to serious injury road collisions.

Recommendations include:

• By 31 December 2024, the Met should review its guidance and training offered to police officers attending the scene of a collision to ensure they understand what is required and that all necessary “basic checks” are being completed.
• The Met should develop an action plan for how it will ensure all officers who are involved in the investigation of serious injury collisions are equipped with the most up to date guidance and training, and provide an update to this Committee on planned extra training for collision investigators by 31 December 2024. The Met should also consider how it can involve organisations that support road traffic victims in the design and provision of this additional training.
• The Mayor should work with the Met to create information guides to distribute to victims and their families to ensure they know what service and minimum standards to expect from the Met during an investigation.
• The Met should ensure every road crash victim that has life-threatening or life changing injuries, and their family, has access to a dedicated family liaison officer (FLO).