Action call over Hartlepool's road injury toll

Road safety charity Brake called the persistence of dangerous behaviour on the roads "deeply concerning" and renewed calls for a zero-tolerance stance on drink and drug driving.

Department for Transport data shows drivers or riders impaired by alcohol contributed to seven crashes in the area last year.

The figures, which report contributory factors for incidents as recorded by police, also show someone affected by illicit or medicinal drugs.

In total, 78 incidents recorded in Hartlepool had contributory factors in 2019 – alcohol was linked to four per cent of these, while impairment through drugs was reported in nine per cent.

The most common contributory factor in Hartlepool was drivers and riders not looking properly, listed in 32% of incidents, followed by failing to judge another person's path or speed (24%) and being careless, reckless or in a hurry (19%).

Different figures show one person was killed and 33 seriously injured on the area's roads last year, compared to two deaths and 26 serious injuries in 2018.

Total casualties, which include slight injuries, rose from 101 to 129 over the period.

A driver or rider could be marked as being impaired by alcohol or drugs if police believe their behaviour directly contributed to the accident, whether over the legal limit or not.

The Scottish Government reduced the alcohol limit for drivers from 80mg per 100 millilitres of blood to 50mg in December 2014, but the legal level in the rest of the UK remains 80mg.

Joshua Harris, Brake's director of campaigns, said: "We know that any amount of alcohol impairs driving, and yet the Government persists with the highest drink-drive limit in Europe.

"We urge the Government to introduce an effective zero tolerance drink-drive limit, providing much-needed clarity to all drivers that if you drink, you must not drive."

Transport Minister Baroness Vere said statistics show road casualties are the lowest they’ve been for 40 years, and that the number of deaths has also reduced.

She added: “While this news is encouraging and while we have some of the safest roads in the world, this Government will continue to work tirelessly to ensure our roads are safer still."