Information on Loughborough

Road casualties reduced in Leicestershire

Posted on 30/06/2009

Leicestershire Councty Council Highways, Transportation & Waste Management

29 June 2009

Road casualties reduced in Leicestershire

Casualty figures on Leicestershire roads have dropped for the eighth consecutive year.

New figures published in the County Council’s annual road safety report show that during 2008 the number of serious and slight casualties has dropped by nine per cent.

Despite these reductions road deaths have risen gradually since 2003, and compared with 2007 the number of people killed has increased by 14 per cent, although there were fewer fatal accidents.

Lesley Pendleton, The County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transportation, said: “We are working hard with our partner organisations to reduce road casualties and are seeing significant reductions year on year.

“However, the recent increases in road deaths are worrying, and this is an ongoing focus of concern.

“Road fatalities often happen at locations where there is no history of accidents occurring, making it difficult to identify preventative road improvements.

“Changing driver behaviour can make a huge difference, and we run a number of training courses focusing on specific groups such as new drivers, motorcyclists and the over 60s.  Attitudes toward speed are an important element of this work and we support the speed awareness workshops run by the Road Safety Partnership.”

The report can be viewed online at www.leics.gov.uk/casualtyreport

Notes to editors:

1. In 2008 there were 45 fatal accidents in Leicestershire (2 fewer than in 2007) resulting in 56 people being killed (7 more than in 2007). The increase in casualties arises from the increase in the number of accidents where more than one person was killed.

2. Headline national figures for 2008 were published on 25 June 2009 in advance of full publication of the main national report in September 2009.

Table 1.1 - Casualties

Casualty

2000

2007

2008

% change from 2000

%change from 2007

Killed

55

49

56

2

14

Serious

305

217

197

-35

-9

Slight

3104

2172

1986

-36

-9

Total

3464

2438

2239

-35

-8

KSI

360

266

253

-30

-5