"We're dealing with far too much tragedy on the road"
With 42 deaths on Essex roads already this year, the Head of Roads Policing with the county police is urging motorists to be responsible
The number of collision related fatalities in the county has left the Head of Roads Policing, Adam Pipe from Essex Police, worried. We caught up with him this week to discuss the state of road safety in the county.
"Since June, we've seen a significant number of people losing their lives on our roads. So far this year, we've seen 42 deaths. For us, even one death is too many", he says.
In many cases, two or more people died in collisions, Mr Pipe adds. So what are some of the major causes for this? "Our Roads Policing Team get called to far too many fatal or serious collisions where at least one of the Fatal Four contributory factors are present – inappropriate speed, not wearing a seatbelt, using a mobile phone while driving and drink or drug driving", he explains.
Excess speed is one of the most commonly found factors contributing to collisions on the road. Among the 16-24 age group, it is one of the top three factors contributing to road collisions and death.
Mr Pipe says, "I think what we've seen post-Covid is that people have had an element of getting out and about after being stuck at home for a long time. Now that they're allowed back on the road, they've taken their eye off the ball with increased speed and lack of observation"
New legislation could go some way towards eradicating the use of mobile phones while driving. Motorists will be prosecuted if they were found using their phones "under any circumstance" while driving . Mr Pipe welcomes these measures and says, " It will bring the legislation into the 21st century and to keep up with how mobile phone devices and their use have changed consistently".
Ahead of Christmas, Essex Police will also launch their annual drink and drive awareness and action campaign to deal with the issue. Mr Pipe says there has been a 27 percent increase in drink or drug driving incidents.
"We are going to be out there, in December, probably more than usual. You'll see a lot of police activity looking for those who continue to drink and drive."
Ultimately, he wants motorists to think about the consequences of their actions on the road.
"This is all about those that are out there who are not complying with road safety rules and are putting people at risk. Think of the impact of death, the families that you or someone you hit leave behind. The friends and colleagues you leave behind, even on those people that attend these incidents.
"My officers, take their uniforms away, they're also humans and they also have a heart. They struggle with seeing these high numbers of road incidents. We're dealing with far too much tragedy and death on the road", he says.