Significant drop in number of road casualties across Cheshire

Mar 8 2010 Chester Chronicle

LATEST road casualty figures show a drop in the number of road casualties across Cheshire.

Highlights include:

Fatalities have fallen by 31% to 42 (compared with 61 in 2008). The average number of fatalities between 2001-2005 (inclusive) was 72.

Seriously injured casualties have fallen by 16% to 557 (compared with 663 in 2008).

Young road user (aged 17-25) killed and seriously injured casualties fell by 31% to 143 (compared with 206 in 2008).

Motorbike casualties fell by 13% to 139 (compared with 160 in 2008).

The main causes of fatalities were poor driving/riding and bad judgement; and alcohol impairment.

Lee Murphy, Cheshire Safer Roads Partnership manager, said: “These are welcoming figures and it is encouraging to see a significant reduction in our road casualties - our lowest ever number.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the partners, staff and the Cheshire public in working exceptionally hard together to continually save lives.

“Since 2003, the Partners have invested a lot of time and money in a wide range of road safety education, engineering and enforcement initiatives, both across Cheshire and at a local level, and this has been successful in reducing the impact on people’s lives.

“However, the partnership believes that one casualty on our roads is one too many, and so we will work even harder to ensure that we continue to exceed the Government’s target figures and make Cheshire’s roads safer.

“We cannot afford to become complacent and road users must remember the importance of safe and responsible driving, and think about the consequences of their actions.

“The fact that the majority of fatalities are caused by poor driving/riding and more than 21% are through alcohol impairment highlights that some motorists are still acting incredibly irresponsibly and, therefore, dangerously.”

The government has a target to reduce death and serious injury on our roads by 40% by the year 2010, compared with the average figures between 1994-1998.

Cheshire has exceeded this target, recording a reduction of 48% by the end of 2009.