Who To Blame For Road Death Rise

One of the worst sights as i move around the City is the collection of flowers and candles left alongside a road because that means that someone has died on that spot recently.
Thankfully it is still a rare occurrence but a Government report has shown that the number of people killed on Britain's roads increased by 3% in 2011 and the number of pedestrians killed jumped by 12%.
Chillingly, the first quarter of this year shows an 8% increase on the 2011 figures compared with the same period last year.
The number of pedestrians dying on our roads is rising but nobody can seem to agree why and until we can work that out, we won't be able to work out a way to reverse the rising figures. The Association of British Insurers called for new restrictions on young drivers, noting that one in three of those killed on the roads is under 25, while the RAC believe the Government withdrawing the funding for speed cameras is to blame and the sheer number of cars now on our roads.
In a contest between soft-tissued organisms and heavy, fast-moving pieces of metal there is only going to be one winner so we should be looking at making the streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists and that would mean slowing down the cars as being hit by a car at 20 mph is a lot more survivable than being hit at 30mph. Poor, careless and dangerous driving is another major contributor especially idiot drivers on mobile phones of which i count myself as someone who has and does answer the mobile while driving.
Rather than the present year ban, a life ban from driving if convicted of causing death by careless or dangerous driving should be mandatory. That is only half the story because as well as speed calming methods to slow down the cars, carelessness by pedestrians and cyclists are also a factor.
Cyclists that go through red lights, weave around traffic, don't signal and have no lights on their bikes are a danger to themselves and obviously don't realise that sometimes it is only other peoples reactions that stop them becoming a part of the grim statistics.
Pedestrians oblivious to their surroundings are another accident waiting to happen, i have had to react many times to pedestrians stepping off the pavement usually texting or wearing earphones and not paying attention to my car traveling directly at them.
There even seems to be a new breed who cross the road in front of cars by holding their hand up as if that will protect them from the tonne of metal coming straight at them at speed. The overwhelming responsibility for the road death toll is on the car driver but reckless behaviour from all quarters, pedestrians, drivers and cyclists, all contribute.