Latest road casualty figures released for the region

The Department for Transport (DfT) has released the latest road casualty statistics for the region.

The validated figures, which cover the whole of 2023, show there were 48 fatalities on Devon and Cornwall’s roads last year, with a further 702 people seriously injured.

The Vision Zero South West road safety partnership, founded in 2019, has committed to reducing deaths and serious injuries by 50% by 2030*.

Despite the latest figures showing a downward trend in both fatalities and serious injuries from the 2016-2018 baseline, Alison Hernandez, Police and Crime Commissioner and chair of Vision Zero South West, says there is still a long way to go.

Commissioner Hernandez said: “It’s vital to remember that these aren’t just numbers – these are people’s loved ones and family members, parents, children, brothers, sisters, friends.

“Each one of these fatal and serious collisions has a devastating impact on those involved and the wider community and we will continue to work hard to reduce the number of people harmed and affected on our roads.

“While I am encouraged to see an overall reduction, there is clearly still much to be done by us all to achieve our goal of eradicating death and serious injury on Devon and Cornwall’s roads.

“This target is incredibly ambitious and simply cannot be achieved without collaboration, innovation and working together with communities. Everyone has a role in making our roads safer.”

The newly released figures highlight casualty numbers for vulnerable road user groups, including motorcyclists – an area which has seen considerable resource from the partnership over the past two years.

In 2022, following a tragic spate of 16 motorcycle fatalities, a partnership task group was formed to address some of the main circumstances surrounding the collisions.

The group oversaw the launch of several initiatives, including:

• Op Cossett, a police operation which uses drones to monitor motorcycle road behaviour from the sky and offer instant road side education
• A state-of-the-art motorcycle simulator, launched in conjunction with the DfT, which is being used to train young motorcyclists in hazard perception
• A behaviour change publicity campaign devised in collaboration with the Cabinet Office’s Behavioural Science team
• Increased engagement with the motorcycle community
• Further promotion of motorcycle training schemes

The new figures released by the DfT have shown a significant reduction in the number of motorcycle fatalities (9) in 2023, and this reduction appears to have continued into 2024 (6 fatal motorcycle collisions have been recorded to date). Commissioner Hernandez added: “While it would be difficult to conclusively link this reduction to the work of the partnership, these projects have certainly had an impact and it’s really encouraging to see these figures moving in the right direction.”

* This is based on the baseline figure of 59 fatalities and 772 serious injuries. This figure is derived from the three-year average between 2016 to 2018 (the three years prior to Vision Zero South West being formed).