What authorities are doing to tackle Lincolnshire’s road death figures

Dozens of people lose their lives on Lincolnshire’s roads every single year, with local authorities pledging to continue exploring “every possible approach” to tackle the issue.

Road deaths in Lincolnshire rose to 48 last year from 40 in 2021, but it is a lower figure than 2020, 2019 and 2018, which recorded 50, 54 and 56 fatalities on the county’s roads respectively.

Any figures that differ from previously reported numbers will be a result of a change in death classification, whether it be natural causes or a medical episode.

While 2022’s road death toll is lower than it has been since 2013, it still works out a just shy of one fatality a week on Lincolnshire’s roads – which must be addressed.

A speeding van operated by the Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership with Lincolnshire Police. | Photo: Lincolnshire Police

The Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership has worked towards tackling these figures year-on-year with the introduction of various schemes and training programmes targeted at road users.

In 2022, speed awareness re-education training was handed out to more than 25,000 people, while the LRSP is on course to complete more school road safety education sessions than ever before in the 2022/23 financial year.

Operation Snap has also been launched in partnership with Lincolnshire Police – a system which effectively processes evidence of poor driving and road traffic offences captured by the public and submitted to the authorities.

Over 1,500 of these submissions were made in 2022, resulting in more than 500 offences being processed by the police.

One of Lincolnshire’s average speed cameras. | Photo: BBC

The number of mobile speed camera locations in Lincolnshire has been increased, and fixed and average speed camera systems will be introduced at strategic locations considered speeding and collision hotspots in the near future.

The LRSP also says the introduction of a roads policing team to Lincolnshire Police has helped provide a targeted response to the issue, while the Community Speed Watch Scheme has seen 281 member groups monitoring speeding vehicles in Lincolnshire.

Steve Batchelor, senior manager at the Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership, said: “Far too many people have lost their lives on Lincolnshire’s roads. Every single life represents an unimaginable tragedy for the friends and family of those involved.

“Lincolnshire Road Safety partnership, Lincolnshire Police, The Police and Crime Commissioner for Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire County Council, and Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue continue to work with the public with the aim of improving  safety and reduce death and injury on the roads.

“We will continue to explore every possible approach to tackling this issue.”

One of Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership’s vans.

During Lincolnshire Police’s anti-drink and drug driving campaign over the last Christmas period, over 200 arrests were made for these road traffic offences – up from 167 the previous year.

Inspector Jason Baxter of the Roads Policing Unit said: “Last year 48 people died needlessly on our roads – the aim of the Roads Policing Unit is to significantly reduce the number of people who are killed or seriously injured on Lincolnshire’s roads.

“We want to educate road users, promote road safety, and protect innocent road users across our county.

“Drugs and alcohol impair your ability to drive safely – your reaction times are slower which can lead to poor concentration and your chances of being involved in a collision are increased, risking the lives of yourself and other road users.

“Having a dedicated Roads Policing Unit means that we have more resource to patrol the roads in our county, and to keep residents safe.

“There is no excuse for drink or drug driving – this is a warning to anyone out there that if you are caught drink or drug driving any time of year, you will be arrested.”

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