More people killed and injured on Blackpool's roads since the pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic saw road casualties drop across Great Britain as drivers stayed at home during lockdowns, but charities have warned the Government must do more tackle an uptick in injuries from traffic accidents.

Provisional figures from the Department for Transport suggest there were 423 road casualties in Blackpool in 2021 – a rise from 308 the year before, and more than the 396 in 2019.

More people were killed on the area's roads last year – two people died, while nobody was killed in 2020.

Meanwhile, 112 serious injuries were recorded – an increase on the year before, when 51 people were badly hurt.

This week, tens of thousands of children marched for safe streets in the UK in a campaign organised by Brake, a road safety charity.

National figures show 2,261 children were injured and 33 killed on Britain's streets last year.

Scott Williams, head of programme delivery at Brake, said every child should have the right to walk in their neighbourhood without fear of traffic or pollution.

"It is vital that children can walk safely in the places where they live." he added.

Overall, across Great Britain there were 127,967 road casualties in 2021 – an 11% rise on the year before – while 1,560 people were killed.

Of those who died, 686 were car users, but 363 pedestrians and 299 motorcyclists were also killed.

The number of pedal cyclists who lost their lives dropped by 20% from 141 in 2020 to 113 last year.

Commenting on the Department for Transport's figures, Mark Turner, chief executive of the Road Victims Trust, said: "It remains a terrible fact that four people will be killed on the roads of the UK each day, with many more suffering life-changing injuries.

"The devastation and trauma caused by these collisions is immense and it is disturbing to see a climb in the numbers of people affected."

The RAC said the Government must do more to improve road safety.

The organisation's head of roads policy, Nicholas Lyes, said: “RAC research suggests there is a huge level of concern among drivers about the standard of driving on our roads, so we urge the Government to consider reintroducing road safety targets.”