Getting behind the wheel of a car is one of the more dangerous things most of us do and, for the most part, drivers are aware of the risks and their responsibilities. Yet every year, almost 2,000 people are killed on UK roads, a number which has stayed relatively steady in the last decade and a half.

This isn’t some lawless land where half-trained drivers recklessly control vehicles that can reach speeds of over 100mph. This is a country where every driver must pass a test and adhere to specific rules designed to make driving as safe as possible. But the numbers do not lie - 1,711 fatalities on UK roads in 2022, according to Government figures. Some, if not many, of these deaths are caused by negligence. As drivers we have a duty of care to each other. If a crash happens when someone does not obey the rules of the road or fails to take reasonable care, that is not an accident; that is negligence.

August is Roadpeace’s National Road Victim Month, a reminder that driving carries significant responsibilities. We cannot afford to be passive in our concentration or careless in obeying road rules. These are roads we all share and we must work together to highlight that each road death is one too many.

Behind every one of the 1,711 people who died on UK roads in 2022 is a story. A person who had friends, family, ambitions, desires, and dreams. Their families will feel their loss forever. While nothing can replace a loved one, families deserve and are owed compensation if their loved one died due to someone else’s negligence.

However, thousands of loving family members and friends are ineligible for statutory compensation because of the outdated and archaic way England and Wales define ‘family’. For example, unmarried fathers are ineligible for compensation if their child is killed. This is despite more than half of babies born in England and Wales being born to unmarried parents, according to the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS). The insinuation that unwed fathers do not have as close a relationship with their children as those that are married is an insult.

The Government’s outdated and unsympathetic view of what constitutes a family is only half the issue. England and Wales still only offer a set amount for bereavement damages of £15,120 (in Northern Ireland it’s £17,200). APIL continues to implore the Government to bring the bereavement damages system into the 21st century by following Scotland’s lead, which offers no fixed amount for bereavement damages and instead assesses each death on a case-by-case basis. Scotland also recognises the closeness of various family members, including those not eligible under the England and Wales system – such as unmarried fathers, or adult children.