Over the past year the lives of more than 350 families have been impacted as a result of a collision in Cheshire.
28 families have lost loved ones and 343 people are now living with serious injuries which may affect them for the rest of their lives.
During National Road Victims Month (August), Cheshire Constabulary is urging the public to take time to think about all those who have been affected by serious collisions when using the county's roads, whether as a motorist, cyclist or pedestrian.
Superintendent Paul Beauchamp, who leads the Roads Policing Team, said: "Dealing with fatal and serious collisions is a heartbreaking task, especially when you know that many of them are preventable.
"While some of the incidents are accidental, there are others where people needlessly die or suffer serious injuries because another person decided they were above the law.
"It's well known that driving while under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs increases your chances of being involved in a collision. It's also known that driving at 35mph in a 30mph zone doubles the risk of killing a child in a collision.
"Despite this, there are hundreds of motorists who flout the laws on our roads every day. That's why this month I'm urging residents to think about how they would feel if it were one of their loved ones who was killed and what they could do to make a difference.
"Whether it's making sure that you stick to the speed limit, waiting until you get home before you answer your mobile or getting the train to work following a night out, everyone has a role to play to help make our roads safer."
David Keane, Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, said: "Roads policing is one of my key priorities and I am committed to doing everything I can to make our roads safer.
"Since I became commissioner I've invested in new mobile speed cameras for our Police Community Support Officers to use on roads where local residents have raised concerns. I've also been lobbying the government to make improvements to the strategic road network across Cheshire, including the M56.
"However, this is not something that I can achieve alone. It's a sad fact that many of the tragedies that occur in Cheshire could be avoided if road users paid more attention to the road and obeyed all of the laws that are in place.
"That is why I'm encouraging all road users to play their part. By working together we can all help to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on Cheshire's roads."
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
I requested the data recorded from one of the very few speed information gathering equipment devices in Wilmslow (that's a technical name I've made up for them obviously!!)positioned on our road in December 2017. Our road has a 30mph limit and is VERY busy. The highest speed recorded was 70mph - the percentage of vehicles over the limit was 75% and over the fineable limit - 35.8%. The data was gathered partly over the 2017 Christmas break - so fewer vehicles on the road than typical levels - 31,489 in 17 days. The number over the speed limit - ONLY 23,711 - so ONLY 11,271 fines would have been collected!!
Now, I get that there are a LOT of roadworks with no people actually doing any work on certain stretches in the nearby area - the A34 springs to mind - and commuters are trying to make up for lost travel time, but why, when information is collected regarding speeding vehicles and the speeding percentages are so high, is NOTHING done about it? I'll tell you why -t here needs to be at least one fatality on a road before a camera is put up - brilliant. Somebody has to die before something is done. What an idiotic "plan".
Everybody does indeed have "a role to play to make our roads safer" - this includes the Police.