Mike Maryon, cabinet member for staffordshire county council.ProfilePEOPLE killed or seriously injured on Staffordshire roads is continuing to fall, latest figures have revealed.
Statistics from the Department for Transport (DfT) have recorded a reduction in 2012 when compared to the previous four years, falling from 183 in 2008 to 126 in 2012.
Mike Maryon, Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “The latest figures are very encouraging and prove the many measures we have introduced to improve road safety are effective.
“For example, the 20mph speed indicator devices that we’re rolling out outside schools have already proved to be very popular and we intend to build on this success. We are determined to make Staffordshire’s roads even safer and will do so, by working together with the Staffordshire Safer Roads Partnership.”
The Staffordshire Safer Roads Partnership said it is committed to reducing casualties on the county’s highways through a number of measures including education and training for all age groups, speed enforcement, road engineering and publicity.
Chief Inspector Steve Smytheman, Staffordshire Police’s head of roads policing, said: “The safety of our roads is a key priority for public service partners across Staffordshire. Every person killed or seriously injured is a tragedy. We are determined to continue working towards reducing the number of casualties even further through enforcement and education.
“Staffordshire Police and their partners in the Staffordshire Safer Roads Partnership are also particularly pro-active in targeting risk taking drivers with educational interventions that aim to change driver attitudes.”
The latest figures are the lowest ever recorded and have outperformed national casualty reduction targets set by the DfT. In the last decade, people killed or seriously injured on the county’s highways has more than halved. Staffordshire has the fifth safest roads in England and Wales.
Ian Sloss, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service group manager, added: “These figures demonstrate the value of partnership working and our commitment to work together for the benefit of our communities.”
In November alone last year two people died on Uttoxeter roads. Harry Deville, of Stowe-by-Chartley, died after three-vehicle collision on the A518 Stafford Road and Stephen Hallam, of Ashlea Drive, Mayfield, died after his car hit a tree on Ashbourne Road.
