Some good news - huge drop in deaths on Warwickshire's roads through lockdown

Those looking for some good news amid the Covid-19 outbreak will already have seen communities come together and our county's businesses reach out to help the vulnerable - and now it is reported that deaths on our roads have plummeted.

Warwickshire County Council reports that figures from the start of the calendar year to end of July showed six fatalities on the roads compared to 22 for the same period last year - this means a drop of 350 per cent.

The fall in numbers of road users explains much of the reduction in deaths - with traffic in that period at 40 per cent of the average from previous years.

Now, as the county's economy begins to emerge from the outbreak, the county council is urging residents to take the chance to look at alternative ways of getting around.

Warwickshire County Council’s portfolio holder for transport and planning, Cllr Jeff Clarke, said: “The fall in road deaths is one of the few positives to have emerged from the pandemic and it is something that we will look to build on.

“Clearly much of the reduction is down to the reduced level of road use and we would not expect such a low presence of vehicles on our roads to continue as the county looks towards economic recovery.

"People will need to travel to and for work. We are working, as ever, to ensure that our highways infrastructure is as safe as possible.

“But these figures do give an indication that reduced road use does make roads safer so I would hope that it might inspire people to look at alternatives to the car for some of their journeys.

"As children return to schools next week, this could be an opportunity for them and parents to look at active travel, cycling and walking, as an alternative to driving.

“We offer a range of advice on how to do that so parents can plan their children’s journeys to school by foot or by bike. I encourage anyone who can to look at this as a healthy option that will help to continue the trend of safer roads.”

For further information on active travel to school, go to www.warwickhire.gov.uk/activetravel