Fatalities on Wales' roads fall to an all time low

The Police Reported Road Traffic Fatalities 2010 report shows fatalities fall to below 100 for the first time

A new report shows that fatalities on Wales' roads are at their lowest levels ever.

The Police Reported Road Traffic Fatalities, 2010 show that there were 89 deaths on Welsh roads in 2010, which is the lowest since 1968 when this information was first compiled in Wales.

It is also the first time the figure has been below 100.

The report, published by the Welsh Assembly Government, also found that there has been a 71 per cent reduction in child fatalities in Wales, when compared to the 1994-98 figures.

During 2010, there were 82 fatal accidents in Wales resulting in 89 fatalities, which is 36 fewer than were killed during 2009.

Traffic fatalities in Wales most recently peaked in 1973 with a total of 424 people killed but fatalities generally declined over the following years, falling to 161 by 2007.

The number of road traffic fatalities fell steadily over the next three years, and 2010, based on patterns for the United Kingdom as a whole, it is probably the lowest level of traffic fatalities in Wales since the 1920s.

The allocation of over £35m in road safety grants since 2007 has enabled local authorities to implement a range of road safety projects that have contributes to this downward trend of fatalities that we see today.

The Deputy First Minister, Ieuan Wyn Jones, who is also the Minister for Economy and Transport said: "Road safety messages, particularly among young drivers, still need to be heard."

"We will continue to work with the Regional transport consortia and road safety professionals to see if there is more we can do to educate young drivers to the dangers of driving and the potential for tragedy every time they get into a vehicle."

Further information:
Welsh Assembly Government