Road deaths increased by 50 percent in Northamptonshire last year, police reveal

By the end of December, 32 people had been killed in accidents, an increase of 11 on the previous year, according to statistics published by Northamptonshire Police today.

The report also shows that the number of people seriously injured in crashes is at the lowest level since records began in 1960. The police said that in the 1970s the average number of people losing their life on the roads was 90 per year.

The figures for road deaths since 2011 are as follows: 2011 - 19; 2012 - 35; 2013 - 26; 2014 - 21; 2015 - 32.

Mark Ainge, head of the Joint Prevention and Community Protection Department for Northamptonshire Police and Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “To see the number of people who died on Northamptonshire’s roads increase in 2015 is a tremendous disappointment for us, especially as we know that behind every one of those figures is a tragedy which will have affected the lives of countless others.

“We and our partners work tirelessly to try and make our roads the safest in the country by both policing bad driving and educating road users on ways to prevent collisions.

“The last 20 years have seen more and more vehicles on our roads but a steady drop in the number of collisions and fatalities and we want to see this reduction continue.”

Throughout 2015, there were fatal collisions in the county every month apart from February. Across 30 incidents, a total of 13 drivers lost their lives, along with two passengers, eight pedestrians, six motorcyclists and three cyclists.

Mr Ainge said that although the number of collisions has reduced significantly over the years, it is still imperative that motorists take responsibility for their own and their passenger’s safety.

He said: “It is vital that people keep to the speed limits and wear seatbelts while driving and make sure all their passengers have their belts on too. Motorists should also avoid alcohol before taking to the roads, and people should never use mobile phones while driving.

“If people are following this advice and drive in a manner which is appropriate to the weather conditions, I would hope that in 12 months’ time we will see a reduction in the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads.”