THE number of people killed on Cambridgeshire’s roads almost doubled last year.

During the year 42 people were killed in collisions on the county’s roads - up from 23 deaths in 2009.

PC Tony Barrios, casualty reduction officer, said: “It is always sad when the number of fatal collisions increases, however, the 2009 figures were extremely low and we were unlikely to be able to sustain them.

“Thankfully despite last year’s rise, fatal collisions viewed long-term are the lowest they’ve been for the past 14 years.

“It’s important that we review every serious and fatal collision to understand the causes and how we can reduce the figure.

“Too many serious collisions are caused by human error. By reducing your speed or adapting your driving to the conditions of the roads you can significantly reduce the chance of being involved in a collision.”

Councillor Mac McGuire, Cambridgeshire County Council Cabinet Member for Highways and Access, said: “Every single death on the roads is a tragedy and we and the other agencies across Cambridgeshire are doing everything we can to reduce the number of accidents on our roads and to cut the the number of people killed and injured as a result.

“The increase in the number of people dying in road accidents last year is to be deeply regretted - but overall the trend over recent years has been downward which is very welcome.”

Over the next year police will be holding targeted campaigns to reduce casualties including drink drive campaigns, seatbelt enforcement weeks and operations to target motorists breaking the law.

The majority of the force’s road safety work and enforcement is done in conjunction with the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Road Safety Partnership.

The number of fatal collisions is still lower than in previous years. There were 60 in 2008, 86 in 2007, 64 in 2006 and 67 in 2005.