The number of people killed on North Yorkshire’s roads continued to fall last year, matching the joint lowest figure since modern records began in 1990.
Thirty-one people died as a result of collisions on the county’s roads, compared to 40 in 2014 and 51 in 2013.
The number of people seriously injured on the county’s roads was slightly higher than the previous year, 399 compared to 391. The total number of casualties of all severities in 2015 was 2,316, up three per cent from 2,258 in 2014.
Four cyclists were killed in 2015, one more than the previous year, but the number of cyclists seriously injured was down 17 per cent and overall there were five per cent fewer cyclist casualties, despite the continued growing popularity of cycling in the county.
The number of motorcyclists killed or injured continued its gradual decline. In 2015, 12 were killed and a further 102 seriously injured, compared to 13 and 104 in 2014 and 16 and 114 in 2013.
Three pedestrians were killed, one fewer than in 2014, and the number of seriously injured pedestrians fell from 39 to 35.
The findings are published in North Yorkshire County Council’s Annual Casualty Report.
North Yorkshire County Councillor Don Mackenzie, Executive Member for Road Safety, said:
Road safety is a priority for the county council. We are pleased to see that the number of fatalities is falling, but every death on our roads is a death too many.
We plan investment to reduce and prevent collisions and casualties. Using data collected by the police, we focus funding where it can make the biggest difference. This is a blend of work to reduce the most serious crashes and to improve the locations with the most frequent incidents. We prioritise spending on highways maintenance and have received additional government funding to boost road repairs to make them safer for all users.
The number of cyclists injured has reduced significantly but there were four deaths, which is four too many. We will continue our efforts to prevent accidents involving cyclists by working with cycling groups and communities as well as the 95 Alive Partnership and Welcome to Yorkshire, whose support for cycling and cyclist safety is welcome.
The Annual Casualty Report can be read in full at www.roadwise.co.uk
