Chilling reminder of the fatal dangers on Birmingham roads as protesters stage 'die in'

Twenty-five people a year are killed on Birmingham roads - with two pedestrians dying within a month recently.

Protesters are demanding that more is done to protect people from the lethal danger with scores joining a demonstration yesterday (Saturday, January 27). Supporters of Better Streets for Birmingham demand that dangerous drivers be removed from the roads and penalties for vital road occurrences be stricter.

The campaigners staged a chilling reminder of exactly how dangerous our roads by taking part in a ‘die-in’ - with 25 lying in a city centre road with their bodies outlined in chalk in memory of those who are killed each year.

Better Streets for Birmingham (BSfB) campaigner Shivaji Shiva said: “"We know that every single year on Birmingham's roads 25 people are killed in collisions. And we know that every death on our roads is preventable. And so none of these deaths is acceptable. The die-in was a poignant evocation of the 25 lives lost each year.”  

West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster said: “The fact that the people losing their lives, being killed and seriously injured on our roads is something that we all want, to bring an end to.

“I want the streets lit up in a manner that ensures safety for all who use them. Better Streets for Birmingham is clear in its demands for production from authorities. But I think plainly, enforcement is important and West Midlands Police needs to play its part in reducing the number of people who are tragically and avoidably killed the seriously in our roads and that involves rebuilding community policing.

"It involves strengthening the Road Harms Prevention Team and also establishing the road crimes team as well, and also making sure that West Midlands Police are participating in enforcement operations."