The price of Birmingham's road safety crisis - with each death costing millions

When someone dies on our roads, families of the victims pay the true cost - crushed by heartbreak and unbearable loss. But road deaths and injuries affect us all, not just in terms of how safe we feel navigating Birmingham, but also in terms of how are taxes are spent.

A new Birmingham City Council scrutiny report has revealed the significant financial cost of the crisis on our city's roads, with every fatality on Birmingham's roads costing taxpayers an estimated £2.4 million. The costs are calculated by factoring in medical and ambulance services, police time investigating incidents, insurance claims, property damage, and lost output - the economic value of the work and contributions the deceased would have made to society if they had lived.

According to the report, published this week, road casualties cost the public around £205 million every year in Birmingham - with every injury costing an average of £271,000. The report continued: "The total societal cost of killed and seriously injured casualties in the West Midlands for 2023 was £444 million."

READ MORE: When Birmingham could slash almost all the city's 40mph speed limits

Reacting to the figures on social media, former cycling and walking commissioner Adam Tranter, said: "The current status quo is not only unacceptable on a human level but also economically ruinous."

Plans to cut speed limits on most of the city's 40mph roads were announced last week. It followed Birmingham City Council's decision to declare a road safety emergency earlier this year, following a spate of tragedies on our roads.

The move forms part of the council's broader aim to halve road deaths and serious injuries by 2030, and eliminate them entirely by 2040. Campaigners report that at least 23 people lost their lives on the city's roads between June 2023 and July 2024.

The council is asking for resident's views on the proposals as part of an online consultation, which is running until Tuesday, December 10. Coun Majid Mahmood, cabinet member for environment and transport, said of the plans: "We need to prioritise people and ensure communities are safer.

"Key to tackling road harm is delivering a significant reduction in the speed and volume of vehicles on our roads, reinforced with strategic enforcement activities, particularly on higher volume roads. We know residents are deeply concerned about road safety, especially those who live near busy main roads, so reducing the speed on our roads is an obvious and important part of our wider plans for how people and goods move around the city.

"I’d encourage as many people as possible to let us know their thoughts and take part in this important consultation."