People can now access collision data for the streets in their neighbourhood thanks to a new dashboard launched by North Somerset Council.
The dashboard details collision figures over the ten years to 2022 and includes information about the type of collision, the number of vehicles involved and details about weather conditions and speed limits.
People can also search for collision information at individual parish level.
On average someone is killed or seriously injured on North Somerset’s roads each week.
During 2022, 400 people in total were injured and five were killed. This figure is a reduction of nearly 20 per cent on pre-Covid levels, however numbers are starting to rise.
The most common causes of road traffic collisions in North Somerset are:
- Failing to look properly before performing a manoeuvre
- Driving at inappropriate speeds for the conditions, such as in adverse weather.
- Failing to judge the speed or path of another vehicle.
Excessive speed, failing to wear a seatbelt, careless/inconsiderate driving, mobile phone use and intoxicated driving (drink/drugs) are also key contributors and are known as the Fatal Five.
With 10 years of collision history available, the dashboard helps provide insight into collision patterns, giving a generalised picture that overall road safety is improving.
In 2022, there were 12 per cent less collisions compared with the previous 10-year average, however collision figures for some types of incidents are rising again after historically low figures during the Covid pandemic when less people were on the roads.
Whilst the decline in overall collisions is welcome, there are many avoidable injuries happening on the area’s roads.
North Somerset Council’s Road Safety Team use this data to prioritise highway improvement schemes that will reduce the number of collisions occurring on the road network.
The council is currently looking at a number of safety schemes including on the A370 in Weston-super-Mare. These improvements include alterations to road markings and a review of the speed limits.
Other projects include improvements to the traffic signals in Failand and a review of the speed limit along Queens Road in Nailsea as well as improvements to the pedestrian crossings.
These measures are being considered because a pedestrian who is hit by a car travelling at between 30mph and 40mph is between three and a half and five and a half times more likely to be killed than if hit by a car travelling at below 30 mph. (Source: ROSPA)
Cllr Hannah Young, North Somerset Council’s Executive Member with responsibility for roads said: “The dashboard allows people to check the collision record for the roads they use and provides an insight into the many factors involved in the collisions on our roads.
“It also provides a sobering reminder of the impact speed and conditions play in collisions and provides valuable data at a parish level.
“I am regularly contacted by residents who are concerned about speeding and inconsiderate driving through their communities. We are working hard to bring down the number of casualties and we hope everyone using the roads will continue to put safety first at all times.”
The dashboard is available on the North Somerset Council website Road traffic collisions | North Somerset Council (n-somerset.gov.uk)
PIC-NORTH SOMERSET COUNCIL
