SMMT Transport News Brief

Friday, October 6, 2017 - 13:30
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SMMT

Last month’s van registrations figures out today show the market is down -4.2%, following two years of record growth, as economic and political uncertainty knocks business confidence.

Of course the market remains at a historically high level, but with the success of the sector so closely linked to business confidence, government must ensure the conditions needed for our sector to continue to thrive.

The amount of traffic on UK roads has risen ten-fold since the 1950s. While there has been considerable investment in our road network over that period, the UK’s roads are now among the most congested in Europe. And traffic growth is set continue, with one forecast predicting a nearly 40% increase by 2040. Despite this, we have the safest roads, second only to Sweden, with HGVs and vans being some of the safest vehicles.

Road statistics, in broad terms, follow economic activity; the stronger the economy, the more people drive. However, as the UK economy has grown in recent years, alongside the population increase, the casualty rates have remained fairly constant. Nonetheless, the challenge is far from over and our industry continues to invest in developing technology that make the CVs on roads today the safest ever.

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