Home Affairs Committee: Guernsey roads are 'busier, but safer' than they used to be

While Guernsey's roads getting much busier, they are much safer - according to the island's Home Affairs Committee.

Responding to a Freedom of Information request, the committee published figures showing that in 1969 there were 80 people seriously injured and seven fatalities on Guernsey roads in comparison to 10 serious injuries and just one death in 2022.

The response also showed that there had been 121 collisions involving pedestrians and cyclists since 2020, but that that number had remained relatively stable throughout the period.

65 of the collisions had involved a cyclist while 56 involved a pedestrian. The committee stressed that the figures "do not indicate any levels of apportioned blame".

The Home Affairs Committee says updated drink-driving laws, modern seat belts and lower speed limits were some of the reasons the island's roads had become safer.

They added that "general road user behaviour and awareness campaigns" had also had an impact.

The committee said that "ways in which road safety can be improved are always under review, such as proposed drink/drug driving law amendments and a potential new offence of causing death by careless driving on which the committee is preparing a Policy Letter for consideration by the States before the end of this political term."

Recent figures from Bailiwick Law Enforcement showed that there had been 1,887 traffic offences reported in Guernsey in 2022, and there had also been 367 total vehicle collisions reported.

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