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Deaths on county's roads fall after record high

Ellen Knight
BBC Radio Shropshire
Getty Images Photo taken on a road - in soft focus there's a police van parked lengthways across a tarmac-d road, blocking it. In the foreground, in focus, there's a blue sign with white writing reading 'POLICE' with an arrow pointing to the left. There's two orange and white traffic cones as well, cordoning off the road. Getty Images
Deaths on Shropshire's roads reached a record high in 2023

The number of people dying in car crashes in Shropshire has fallen after reaching a record high, according to West Mercia Police figures.

There were 28 fatalities on the county's roads in 2023, the highest number of deaths recorded since 2018, when it peaked at 20.

In 2024, this fell to 22 - a reduction of almost 25% on the previous year.

Authorities have attributed the decline to road safety education and campaigns in conjunction with the emergency services.

West Mercia's Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion described crashes in the county as its "biggest killer" because of its "network of fast rural roads".

However, he said he believed driver behaviour was one of the key issues.

"When we get behind the wheel we have an obligation to be safe," he told the BBC.

"In too many instances, the terrible things that we see on our roads are preventable by drivers taking action."

Mr Campion is pictured in an election hall - likely a sports hall or similar. The background is in a soft focus whilst Mr Campion is fully in focus - he's wearing a navy suit and tie and there's a blue Conservative rosette pinned to his left lapel.
John Campion has been West Mercia's Police and Crime Commissioner since 2016

On the county's roads managed by Telford and Wrekin Council, fatalities fell from five to three in 2024 and the number of casualties fell from 194 to 159.

On those overseen by Shropshire Council, there were 19 fatalities. However, casualties rose from 125 to 141.

At a meeting of Telford and Wrekin Council Communities Scrutiny Committee in November, "driver behaviour" and "excess speed" were cited as reasons behind road deaths.

To tackle the problem, the authority said it had invested in road safety education for schools and colleges.

It said it had also spent more than £7m on road safety improvements in the last five years and offered virtual reality training for older drivers.

Meanwhile, Shropshire Council recently launched Our Journey, a virtual road safety campaign targeted at primary school children.

The authority added speeding was a "widespread issue" and it was "working closely with police" to use data to work on next steps.

West Mercia Police also works with the local highway authorities to provide road safety education and various campaigns.

Mr Campion said there was a "gap" in driver education and he wanted more training to be made available to "more of our community," not just "those who have come to the attention of the law".

"I want to promote [...] the value of driving and the responsibility that goes with it," he added.

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