1,700 killed and injured on South Tyneside roads in last five years

Safety experts are urging road users to look out for each other after revealing there have been more than 1,700 people have been killed or injured on accidents in the borough over the last five years.

Figures from Road Safety GB North East revealed there were 1,736 deaths and injuries in road accidents in South Tyneside between December 2010 and November last year.

Six were fatal, 144 resulted in serious injury and 1,586 were slight.

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Road Safety GB North East chairman Paul Watson said: “People might be the greatest driver in the world, with a terrific safety record, but they could still be involved in a serious collision due to a mistake by someone else.

“Accident figures never make good reading. We are urging everyone to take extra care when on the roads, and to make sure you act safely.

“Crucially, we want everyone to anticipate other people’s poor judgment.”

Statistics showed that failing to look was the most common contributory factor of road accidents in the region, with County Durham recording the highest accident figures, followed by Northumberland, Newcastle, Sunderland and Gateshead.

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The group, supported by the region’s 12 local authorities, police forces, fire crews and Police and Crime Commissioners, aims to ultimately reduce the number of collisions on the roads, as well as casualties, and to educate and inform on road safety.

The figures show that during the five-year period, there have been 26,996 road traffic collisions on the region’s roads – resulting in 37,790 injuries, 326 fatalities and 3,953 serious injuries.

The figures show that the majority of people injured on the region’s roads were car occupants – accounting for 62%.

The most seriously injured were motorists (35%), pedestrians (27%), motorcyclists (19%) and pedal cyclists (12%).