County roads are safer
Warwickshire services continue to make good progress in reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured on the county’s roads.
Last year was the ninth successive year in which the number of reported road casualties has fallen.
The 2009 edition of ‘Reported Road Casualties Warwickshire’, produced by Warwickshire County Council from data collected by Warwickshire Police reveals that 308 people were killed or seriously injured in road collisions in 2009. This is down from 348 in 2008 and 50 per cent fewer then the number recorded a decade ago (618 in 1999).
The report provides detailed information about recorded traffic collisions involving injuries and compares 2009 against previous years. It shows a significant fall in the number of people to lose their lives on Warwickshire’s roads, down from 43 in 2008 to 27 in 2009.
It also highlights the progress made by the county to reduce casualty numbers amongst vulnerable road users with fewer deaths or serious injuries amongst children (25 in 2008 to 14 in 2009), cyclists (26 to 20) and motorcyclists (81 to 58).
Also flagged up is a significant reduction in the number of 16-29 year olds who have been killed or seriously injured (137 to 98). This is positive news as the age group have traditionally been over represented in road casualties.
County Councillor Richard Hobbs, Portfolio Holder for Community Protection said: “A huge amount of work and investment by the county council and our partner agencies goes into making the road network as safe as possible for all users and it is rewarding to see a further reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured.
“This report is great news for Warwickshire but we cannot afford to be complacent and will be continuing our efforts to continue to improve road safety in Warwickshire.”
Inspector Robin Clifton from Warwickshire Police added: “These results are very encouraging, but there are still too many lives being lost, injuries sustained and lives wrecked by road traffic collisions. Warwickshire Police will carry on working with partner agencies to protect people from harm on the roads and remain committed to reducing road casualties.
The report is available at http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/roadsafety.