ROAD fatalities have fallen significantly during the coronavirus lockdown, according to new council figures.
The impact of lockdown cut road use by 60 per cent, leading to a drop in traffic deaths.
Warwickshire County Council says the year-on-year fall in fatalities resembles a glimmer of ‘good news’ from the pandemic.
The council’s data reveals the first six months of 2020 saw six deaths on county roads, compared to 22 for the same period last year,
Warwickshire County Council’s portfolio holder for transport and planning, Coun Jeff Clarke, said: “The fall in road deaths is one of the few positives to have emerged from the pandemic and it is something that we will look to build on.
“Clearly much of the reduction is down to the reduced level of road use and we would not expect such a low presence of vehicles on our roads to continue as the county looks towards economic recovery. People will need to travel to and for work. We are working, as ever, to ensure that our highways infrastructure is as safe as possible.
“But
these figures do give an indication that reduced road use does make roads safer so I would hope that it might inspire people to look at alternatives to the car for some of their journeys. As children return to schools next week, this could be an opportunity for them and parents to look at active travel, cycling and walking, as an alternative to driving.
“We offer a range of advice on how to do that so parents can plan their children’s journeys to school by foot or by bike. I encourage anyone who can to look at this as a healthy option that will help to continue the trend of safer roads.”
