Personal Injury Wiltshire
THE full grim toll of casualties on Swindon roads can be revealed – along with some of the worst accident blackspots.
Wiltshire police have released a complex tapestry of data, listing all traffic incidents in the town between summer 2008 and summer 2011.
In total, the police figures show that there were 1,586 casualties on the town’s roads over the three year period.
Of these, 173 were pedestrians, and 177 cyclists.
A total of 2,322 cars were involved in the accidents which resulted in ten fatalities and 186 serious injuries.
Among the roads cropping up most regularly as scenes of serious accidents are Marlborough Road, Drove Road, and the Cirencester Way roundabout.
A map of the incidents also shows clusters of serious collisions in places including the Bath Road-Devizes Road part of Old Town, Penhill’s Cricklade Road and a string along the A419 in the very north of town.
And the town’s most famous traffic landmark, the Magic Roundabout, was the scene of at least four serious accidents and 14 slight accidents over the last three years.
Andy Lucas, 41, of Stratton, has been a Hackney carriage driver for the last four years, and a lorry driver for ten before that.
The committee member of Swindon Taxi Association said: “I don’t think Swindon is any more dangerous than any other place, to be honest.
“Before I was a taxi driver I was an HGV driver, and that took me further afield. I don’t think Swindon has any particular problems with accidents, any more than any other large town from my own experience.
“People do appear to be driving more aggressively these days. You do find that I think generally. I’ve got to be honest tough, there’s a lot worse places to drive than Swindon.”
But he repeated the warning, voiced by other drivers, that the council’s switch-off of streetlights at night along a number of main roads, saving £20,000, only added to the problem.
He said: “I feel it could increase it. If you’ve got someone a bit the worse for wear making their way home walking up the kerbside late Friday or Saturday, in low visibility, the onus is on the driver to see him there.
“What price do you put value someone’s safety against a £20,000 saving?”
Inspector Ian Stevenson, of the Serious Collision Investigation Team at Wiltshire Police said the numbers show a reduction from previous years.
He said: "It is tragic when anyone dies or is injured on our roads, however our figures show that there has been a consistent reduction in road casualties in Swindon over the past six years.
“In 2010 there were 214 fewer road casualties compared to 2005 which represents a decrease of 31.2 per cent.
“Pedestrian casualties for the same period have also reduced by 32.2 per cent, meaning 27 fewer casualties.
“When put into the context of a significant increase in population and road usage in the town, this reduction is encouraging.
“Road safety is a serious issue for Wiltshire Police and our partner agencies. Together we invest a great deal of time and effort in improving safety through a combination of education, engineering and enforcement.
“Every road user can contribute to greater safety on our roads by taking measures such as improving their vigilance, watching their speed, teaching their children how to cross the road safely and not drinking and driving.”
HGV driver and councillor Andy Harrison (Lib Dem, Penhill), was among those backing the call last month for all non-main roads in Swindon to be made into 20mph zones.
He said: “We wanted to reduce every single residential area to 20mph. We know people are still going to break it, but the majority will obey it.
“I’d certainly say I don’t think Swindon is any worse than any other area.
“But just the driving standard in this country is quite appalling.
“Near misses and accidents where there isn’t a personal injury - how many more are going unreported? I think there’s about 10 for every one reported.
“What we want is a 20mph speed limit to make side streets safer so there’s less chance of getting run over.
“Let’s face it, the slower you go, the less chance of accidents.”
source: swindonadvertiser.co.uk
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