Increase in fatal road accidents leads police in Staffordshire to launch Safer Summer Roads campaign

Officers across Staffordshire will be carrying out the #SaferSummerRoads campaign this month as they look to target motorists who are putting others at risk through speeding and poor road safety awareness.

It comes after a number of fatal road collisions in Staffordshire recently, which have increased by 39 per cent when compared to the pre-Covid-19 baseline: 2019-2020.

There were seven fatal collisions involving motorcycles in the last 12 months (June 2022 to May 2023), and three of these took place in the month of May alone.

Speeding is often a factor in collisions and, in the last three years, speed contributed to 32 per cent of crashes in which someone died or was seriously injured.

Responding to this increase in fatal incidents, officers launched the initiative on Monday,which will involve a series of enforcement and education activities across the county – just as people start heading out for holidays, festivals and days out during the peak summer months.

The primary aim of the campaign is centred around preventing speeding and increasing awareness around the dangers of speeding.

As motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians are usually out more during this period, the campaign is also concentrating on being aware of other roads users and the safety of motorcyclists in particular.

Officers will be focusing their efforts on roads and areas where speeding is known to be an issue or there is a history of serious collisions.

Staffordshire Police's roads policing unit, together with the Staffordshire Safer Roads Partnership, will be out and about in local communities taking part in a number of initiatives.

The locations of the speeding operations will be advertised on their social media channels. We aim to get road users to think about their behaviour and stop speeding themselves, rather than catching them in the act.

Part of the campaign will also see advice and videos being published to raise awareness of how to use the roads safely this summer on various channels and targeted advertising aimed at motorcyclists.

Superintendent Mat Derrick, head of operations, said: "Fatal collisions are unexpected and traumatic events that can devastate victims, families and the local communities - but are often preventable.

“That’s why it’s so vital that we continue to educate people on the importance of road safety and continue to proactively police our roads to stop those putting fellow motorists and pedestrians at risk."

Superintendent Derrick explained: “Drivers tend to take more risks in the summer months due the weather being nicer. We want to remind road users of important safety advice as we want everyone to take personal responsibility for their own and others safety on the roads.

“Please travel within the speed limits and adjust your speed according to the conditions and hazards. Remember just a few extra miles per hour can make all the difference to your reaction, breaking distances and ultimate consequence of any collision.

“There will be young people out and about enjoying their time off school and we want to make it clear that all road users should be treated with respect.

"We should all pay attention to those who are most vulnerable on the roads, such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists to make sure we all get home safely.

“We are also offering advice to motorcyclists due to number of fatal collisions involving them recently. It is important that they wear the appropriate gear for protection and visibility.

"There are also workshops available such as BikeSafe which give practical advice.”

This campaign also supports on-going work as part of Operation Lightning, which aims to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on the roads of Staffordshire and to disrupt and deter criminals from using the road network.

To read more about the campaign, visit: #SaferSummerRoads on the Staffordshire Police website.