Louth and Horncastle has one of the UK's highest road casualty rates 2016 data shows

The road casualty rate for residents of Louth and Horncastle are the sixth highest of any UK parliamentary constituency
Safe Drive Stay Alive. Picture: Eddie MitchellSafe Drive Stay Alive. Picture: Eddie Mitchell
Safe Drive Stay Alive. Picture: Eddie Mitchell

The casualty rate, of those killed or injured on the roads is 44 per cent higher than the national norm.

A new report published by Direct Line Car Insurance and PACTS (the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety) reveals the vulnerability of pedestrians, drivers and vehicle passengers who live in the parliamentary constituency of Louth and Horncastle.

According to the latest road casualty statistics, which includes those killed and injured on UK roads taken from police STATS19 records, the victim rate relative to population in the Louth and Horncastle parliamentary constituency is 46 per cent higher than the national rate.

The road casualty rate in Louth and Horncastle ranks sixth, behind the likes of Great Grimsby, Mitcham & Morden and neighbouring Boston and Skegness in the league table of the worst constituencies in the country.

On a regional basis road casualty rates are high across large sections of Lincolnshire and into Cambridgeshire. Other high-rate areas cover parts of North Lancashire, Staffordshire and Cheshire, West Yorkshire, and also parts of Surrey, Sussex and Kent that border London.

On the positive side, analysis reveals road casualties are lower in the parliamentary constituency of Aberdeen South than anywhere else in the UK. Victim rates on the roads in the constituency are 51 per cent lower than the national average.

Lower casualty rates can be seen throughout Scotland, the Welsh Borders into part of the South West, the South Midlands and parts of Manchester, the North-East and north Norfolk. Many extremely urbanised areas have casualty rates well below average, but some less-dense urban towns and cities have rates significantly higher.

Gus Park, director of motor at Direct Line said: “Casualty rates for residents of Boston and Skegness remain far too high. We need to invest resource in understanding the traffic control measures that can be put in place to help reduce road casualties. We would urge drivers and pedestrians to be cautious on the streets and ensure they take every possible safety precaution.”

Progress over the last six years reveals a cluster of London constituencies that have seen slow progress in road casualty rates. Both Harrow West and Brent North have progress rates 27 per cent lower than the national rate of progress. Constituencies where casualty rates have improved quite significantly are headed by Manchester Withington where casualties have reduced 31 per cent beyond the national rate.

The analysis comes as Direct Line and PACTS publish the third edition of the Constituency Road Safety Dashboard. The dashboard calculates casualty rates for residents of each parliamentary constituency in Great Britain relative to the local population. The dashboard now includes, for the first time, data from the Motor Insurers’ Bureau on the number of crashes involving uninsured drivers.

David Davies, executive director of PACTS added: “The Dashboard shows which constituencies have the most serious road safety challenges and which are making fastest progress. There is great variation across the country and we hope this will be catalyst for action.”