A49 is named Shropshire's most deadly road

Following a review of crash data from the county's six main arteries, the trunk road was today named the county's most dangerous route, with a third of fatal accidents taking place there over a three-year period.

The A5/M54 had more accidents overall, placing it as the second most dangerous.

The latest figures from the Department of Transport show that between the start of 2012 and the end of 2014 at least 26 crashes were fatal. There were 979 casualties on the county's six main arteries from 688 accidents. A total of 52 of those people were killed or seriously injured in 26 crashes.

The statistics have been put together in a map of the county's most dangerous roads by Shropshire car dealers JT Hughes.

• Click here to see the map in full

Data came from the A5/M54, spanning east to north west Shropshire, the A49 from north to south, the A41 across Shropshire's north east side, the A53 from Shrewsbury to Staffordshire, the A458 from Shrewsbury to Bridgnorth and the A442 through the Severn Valley around and south of Telford.

The 'infographic' map shows 16 people died or were injured in crashes on the A49.

The JT Hughes report says: "Scenic it may be, but the A49 between Ludlow and Whitchurch is marked for the highest number of fatal accidents in the county. It had eight incidents between 2012 and 2014, leading to the death or injury of 16 people.

"With 131 non-fatal accidents in the same period, resulting in the injury of over 150 people, this road by far carries the highest chance of being involved in a road accident in Shropshire."

There were 206 collisions on the A5/M54 with 300 casualties, including six fatalities.

The data suggests the A53 is the safest arterial road in Shropshire, experiencing no fatal accidents between 2012 and 2014.

The JT Hughes report says: "With up to eight times fewer serious accidents compared to other main roads in Shropshire, and only 43 casualties in all types of incidents, the A53 promises a less dangerous journey overall."