Speed to blame for shocking rise in serious collisions and fatalities on Cambridgeshire roads says police chief
Cambridgeshire Police have refreshed their road safety campaign following the release of casualty figures on the county's roads for the past year. Picture by Terry Harris. - Credit: Archant
Road deaths in Cambridgeshire are again on the rise, says a new report from police. In the year to November 2019, 36 people died on our roads and 396 were seriously injured.
In 2018 the number of fatalities on Cambridgeshire roads was 27, a five year low for the county.
Chief inspector Jon Roche, head of roads policing, believes speeding is the root cause of the growing casualty rate.
"Far too many lives are tragically lost or changed forever as a result of speeding on our counties' roads," he said.
"It's the reason we are so passionate about preventing avoidable collisions."
Chief Insp Roche, who looks after Cambs, Beds and Herts, released the figures as part of a month long speed campaign. He said it had it had been launched to remind motorists of "the devastating consequences of speeding".
He said: "The faster you drive, the less time you have to react and any mistake is amplified by speed.
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"Speed limits are in place for a reason. Never exceed the limit for the road you're on and please make sure your speed is appropriate for the driving conditions."
"Speed limits are the top safe speed for that road.
Chief Insp Roche added: It is often safer to travel at lower speeds, such as in bad weather and where there are pedestrians or cyclists, particularly children.
"Don't gamble with their lives or yours."
More than 1,100 people were killed or seriously injured on the roads across Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire between November 2018 and November 2019. This equates to almost 20 serious injuries and at least one death every week.
