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ACTION AFTER BIG RISE IN FATALITIES ON ROADS
THE number of people who have died on Northamptonshire's roads this year has already equalled the total for the whole of 2005.
A total of 42 people have died in road accidents across the county so far this year.
The surge in fatal crashes has been described as an "extremely worrying" by traffic experts, who are working to bring down the trend.
Northamptonshire County Council's cabinet member for casualty reduction, Councillor Liz Tavener (Con, New Duston) said: "The utter tragedy behind these figures is the fact that most of these deaths were avoidable.
"I can't emphasise enough how important it is for drivers to always be vigilant on the road, taking a break if you're tired and driving at an appropriate speed for the conditions."
Statistics collected by the police show 93 per cent of the fatal accidents happened in fine weather and 65 per cent happened during the daytime.
Investigations also showed that almost half the accidents were caused by driers' mistakes and speed played a part in almost 25 per cent.
The council and police force are now working on schemes to improve roads and put up signs to prevent accidents.
They are paying particular attention to warning motorcyclists about road safety as more than 20 per cent of the people killed this year have been bikers.
The casualty reduction officer, Pc John Spencer, said: "It's extremely worrying to see an increase in people being killed on our roads this year.” We’re urging all road users to take extra care, so we can put a stop to the rise in collisions and casualties.
"The increase in motorcycle rider deaths is particularly disturbing and we're doing all we can with riders themselves to make our roads safer.
"Riders, of course, are not solely responsible for the collisions, and in many cases we know they are innocent victims of other motorists' careless or even dangerous actions.
"We are therefore appealing for drivers to be extra vigilant and anticipate bikers on the roads."
Pc Spencer also warned the police would take a tough stance on anyone caught driving dangerously.
He said: "We'll take robust action against road users found to be driving recklessly.
A number of arrests have already been made this year for dangerous driving, which will be pursued through the courts."
Article from wayne.bontoft@northantsnews.co.uk
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