Road deaths in Northamptonshire down by half compared to last year, new figures reveal

The number of people killed on Northamptonshire's roads in 2020 is down by half compared to last year.

As of November 17, there have been 20 fatalities on our county's roads - compared to a total of 42 in 2019, and 31 in 2018.

It comes at the end of a year that saw far less traffic on the roads because of the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the ongoing 'Operation Journey' by Northamptonshire Police to tackle the number of road deaths.

However, a co-ordinator of Northampton's branch of RoadPeace organisation, Chris Taylor, says it remains to be seen how the apparent drop will compare to the nation's average when statistics are released next year.

Chris said: "20 deaths a year would be in line with the national averages for England in 2019 - however, Northamptonshire has a much higher fatality rate on its roads than average because of factors like we have many more rural roads.

"So, in lockdown, we are where we should be.

"It's fantastic, because that's 20 fewer people that have died this year on the road. But we will have to compare it to national statistics when they are released next year."

It also comes as Monday (November 16) marked the beginning of National Road Safety Week and the No Need to Speed campaign that aims to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on the UK’s roads by raising awareness of the dangers of speed.

Northamptonshire Police's ongoing road safety campaign, Operation Journey, aims to reduce road deaths by cracking down on crimes such as speeding, drink-driving and using a mobile phone at the wheel.

In June, the operation caught 1,400 motorists speeding in the county in the space of two weeks.

One such motorist was caught driving at a reckless 152mph on the M1 motorway, more than double the speed limit of 70mph, while another was clocked doing 105mph on a 60mph road.