Road deaths fall by more than a quarter in Cumbria

The number of deaths on Cumbria's roads fell by more than a quarter in 2023 compared to the previous year.

Figures from Cumbria Road Safety Partnership (CRSP) show the number of deaths on the county's roads fell by 26.7% in 2023-24, with a 29.2% reduction in the number of very serious injuries in the same period.

The partnership, which launched in 2023, includes partners such as blue light emergency services, local councils, RoSPA and National Highways.

CRSP has been involved in various initiatives to improve safety on the roads, including increased police presence in 'hotspot' areas, road improvements and proactive work to tackle dangerous driving.

Inspector Jack Stabler from Cumbria Police, who chairs the Cumbria Road Safety Partnership, said: “Extensive work has been carried out by a number of agencies to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on the county’s roads.

“Despite the reduction in the number of collisions resulting in fatality or serious injury, we remain far from complacent. Any death on the county’s roads can have a significant and tragic impact on those involved, their families and the wider community.

“This is why we, as a road safety partnership, are committed to achieving our aim of zero road deaths on Cumbria’s road network by 2040 as part of Vision Zero.

“We will continue to work together to use our combined expertise and resources to target collision hotspots and make those places safer.”

Figures show that a Safety Camera Van was deployed on the A66 east of Penrith 643 times between April 2023 and March 2024, triple the number of times it was used the previous year.

This also saw a three-fold increase in the number of Notices of Intended Prosecutions issued to drivers, with 3,616 being issued.

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