44 fatal crashes in Cornwall and Devon during first year of the pandemic
Figures for Devon & Cornwall Police also show 624 people were seriously injured on our roads in 2020, despite a drop in traffic
Last updated 5th Aug 2021
Dozens of people died and more than 600 were seriously injured in crashes Cornwall and Devon's roads last year.
Figures for Devon & Cornwall Police show 44 people lost their lives across the force area in 2020.
Department for Transport data shows at least 624 suffered serious, potentially life-changing injuries.
And the number of people left with slight injuries is likely to be higher than the 2,814 recorded, as not all crashes or collisions are reported.
However, less traffic contributed to an 18% decline in the number of people killed or seriously hurt locally and an overall drop of 26% in the total number of casualties, from 4,691 in 2019 to 3,482.
Road traffic across Britain dropped by over a fifth in 2020 compared to the previous year with the overall number of casualties plunging by a quarter in that time.
But cyclist deaths rose, from 100 in 2019 to 140 last year.
The AA say the Government must do more to eradicate road deaths completely by the end of the decade while road safety charity Brake say it is unacceptable to see lives lost or changed forever as a result of preventable crashes.
A spokesman for Brake said the national decrease in deaths and serious injuries represented a step in the right direction and demonstrated the possibility of reducing casualties.
He called for better investment in vehicle safety and infrastructure, more segregated spaces for cyclists and pedestrians and appropriate speed limits, adding: "Every death on our roads is a tragedy for the victims’ loved ones, while injuries can have devastating consequences on an individual's life.
"We need a concerted focus on reducing road deaths and catastrophic injuries. This requires ambitious targets to end the carnage on our roads".
Spokesman for Brake
AA president Edmund King said 2020's reduction in road traffic casualties should not become a "one-off" as he called for the Government to introduce road safety targets.
He said: "Regardless of how we use the roads, we all have a responsibility to one another to ensure people can travel safely.
"For many years the Government has not set any road safety targets.
"If we are serious about a vision zero for road deaths the Government should urgently reintroduce targets so we can work hard to end road deaths as quickly as possible".
AA President, Edmund King
A Department for Transport spokesman said: "While we have some of the safest roads in the world, this Government will continue to work tirelessly to ensure they are made even safer.
"Our targeted THINK! Campaign continues to educate road-users, and as part of our 2019 Road Safety Statement we committed to a two-year action plan to help promote safer driving on our roads".
Department for Transport
It comes as Vision Zero South West issues an urgent safety warning, after 10 serious crashes on Cornwall and Devon's roads in two weeks: Read more.