Coroner issues plea over road deaths (From Witney Gazette)

Coroner issues plea over road deaths

7:30am Wednesday 3rd January 2007 in Headlines By Phil Vinter

OXFORDSHIRE coroner Nicholas Gardiner made a plea for motorists to start driving more safely after the worst year on the roads for deaths for 16 years.

Sixty-eight people died in crashes in 2006. The death toll was almost as high as that in the previous two years combined, triple the toll in Berkshire and double that of Buckinghamshire.

There has been a general downward trend in road fatalities since the late 1980s, and neither Mr Gardiner nor road experts were able to explain the reason for such a devastating year - except for driver error.

Mr Gardiner said: "I can't remember the last time I dealt with a fatality that was put down to a mechanical problem. The problems are almost always behind the wheel.

"Most of the road traffic accident cases I preside over involve people trying to go round corners too fast. It wouldn't take that much to reduce the number of accidents - just a little more driver care and perhaps people allowing a few minutes longer for a journey. Better late than dead."

As well as having a devastating effect on the relatives of those killed, it is also estimated that the cost of each fatality is in the region of £1m.

This includes the impact of closing lanes of motorway traffic and whole roads, the cost of emergency service time, hospital time and insurance payouts.

Thames Valley Police Roads Policing Inspector Paul Winks said he was appalled by the huge loss of life this year. He said: "The roads of Oxfordshire are not in themselves more dangerous than anywhere else. The county covers a geographical area where millions of motorists travel each year, and, thankfully, fatal collisions taken in this context are relatively rare.

"The cause of the collision in almost every case is due to driver or rider error.

"Sadly, the message about drink driving has not reached everybody as this is still a factor in many road collisions - as is driving while under the influence of drugs, which is becoming more common.

"Inappropriate speed is again a major factor in serious and fatal road collisions. However, the saddest factor of all is that many people die in road collisions simply because they did not wear seatbelts. In approximately 25 per cent of fatal collisions the person would most likely have survived or avoided subsequent serious injury had they been wearing seatbelts.

"Just imagine running as fast as you can - probably about 10mph - and headbutting a brick wall and see how much damage that would do, so just imagine the forces at 30mph.

"I am also concerned that people have not heeded the message about not using mobile phones when driving. This is a dangerous activity and scientific research has found that driving whilst using a mobile phone your levels of concentration drops to that of a drunk driver."

Oxfordshire's firefighters have also taken up the cause this year, launching their 365 Alive campaign in the hope of saving that number of people over the next decade through fire and road safety advice.

Oxfordshire assistant chief fire officer Dave Ethridge said: "Quite clearly the statistics this year are both horrific and tragic for everybody involved, but equally we musn't be tripped up by a single year's statistics because overall the trend is downwards.

"Our 365 Alive vision is a ten-year vision where the Fire and Rescue service is working with young people who are yet to become drivers in the county.

"So, over the next few years as they become motorists, they will be a lot safer."