Ten killed or seriously injured every day on roads
Ten people were killed or seriously injured on roads in the Black Country and Staffordshire every week last year, new figures have revealed.
There were a total of 559 road casualties following crashes on our roads in 2018, including at least 53 children, prompting a safety warning as the harsh winter weather takes hold.
There were five deaths and 87 serious injuries in Wolverhampton, six deaths and 77 serious injuries in Dudley and six deaths and 98 serious injuries in Sandwell.
In Walsall the figure was five deaths and 80 serious injuries while in Staffordshire it was 25 deaths and 170 serious injuries, according to data published by the road safety charity Brake.
Road casualties included 159 pedestrians and 52 cyclists.
Across the West Midlands region as a whole, 173 people were killed and 1,975 seriously injured in 2018.
The West Midlands also saw an 18 per cent increase in the number of child pedestrians killed or seriously injured on the roads, rising from 117 in 2017 to 138 in 2018.
Three in 10 people in the West Midlands have been in a crash or experienced a near miss in the past year, a survey by Brake found. The figures were published as part of Road Safety Week and campaigners insist the number of deaths and injuries is too high.
Lee Flukes was this week named as one of the region's latest crash victims. He died six weeks after he was hit by a motorbike while crossing the A461 Horseley Heath in Tipton on September 26.
Joshua Harris, director of campaigns for Brake, said: “These findings paint an alarming picture of the danger on the West Midlands’ roads and yet it’s what we’re all exposed to, every day, when getting about.
"We shouldn’t have to accept this level of risk as part of our daily lives and so we are calling on everyone to step up for Road Safety Week and shout out for the solutions that we know can make our roads safe.
“Across the region, people are working tirelessly to campaign for safe streets, organising petitions, meeting with MPs and councillors and raising money and awareness.
"This Road Safety Week we want everyone to think about how they can do their bit and step up for safe streets. Can you join or start a local campaign? Do you need to take the car on your next journey, or could you walk, cycle or get the bus? If you are travelling by car, will you pledge to always keep within speed limits and never drive after drinking alcohol or taking drugs? Let’s all step up for safe streets and, together, we can help make roads safer for everyone.”
