17 deaths and more than 670 injuries on Shropshire's roads
Seventeen people were killed and more than 670 injured on Shropshire's roads in 2021, new figures show.
The coronavirus pandemic saw road casualties drop across Great Britain as drivers stayed at home during lockdowns, but charities have warned the Government must do more tackle an uptick in injuries from traffic accidents.
Provisional figures from the Department for Transport suggest there were 679 casualties in the county in 2021 – 458 in the Shropshire Council area and 221 in Telford & Wrekin.
Across the border in Powys there were 377.
The Shropshire figures represented a drop from 479 the year before, and fewer than the 706 in 2019.
The Telford numbers were up on the 176 the year before, but fewer than the 229 in 2019, before the pandemic.
For Powys the numbers were up from 294 in 2020, but fewer than the 465 in 2019.
More people were killed on Shropshire's roads last year – 17 people died, compared with 14 who were killed in 2020.
Meanwhile, 158 serious injuries were recorded in the county – fewer than the year before, when 142 people were badly hurt.
Five people died in Powys last year, where four were killed in 2020.
Overall, across Great Britain there were 127,967 road casualties in 2021 – an 11per cent rise on the year before – while 1,560 people were killed.
Of those who died, 686 were car users, 363 pedestrians and 299 were motorcyclists.
The number of pedal cyclists who lost their lives dropped by 20 per cent from 141 in 2020 to 113 last year.
Commenting on the Department for Transport's figures, Mark Turner, chief executive of the Road Victims Trust, said: "It remains a terrible fact that four people will be killed on the roads of the UK each day, with many more suffering life-changing injuries.
"The devastation and trauma caused by these collisions is immense and it is disturbing to see a climb in the numbers of people affected."
The RAC said the Government must do more to improve road safety.
The organisation's head of roads policy, Nicholas Lyes, said: “RAC research suggests there is a huge level of concern among drivers about the standard of driving on our roads, so we urge the Government to consider reintroducing road safety targets.
“They should also look at whether the long-term decline in full-time road traffic police officers has led to a worsening in driver behaviour."
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “While there has been a decline in road casualties in recent years, any fatality on our roads is a tragedy and our sympathies remain with anyone who has lost a loved one.
“Road safety is a top priority we are committed to improving through education and updates to the Highway Code that will help protect vulnerable road users, alongside our highly successful THINK! campaign.”
