THE number of people getting hurt on Barnsley’s roads rose by nearly 20 per cent last year, new figures have revealed.
Provisional figures from the Department for Transport suggest there were 509 road casualties in Barnsley in 2023 an 18 per cent rise from 430 the year before.
However, it was a decrease from 832 in 2014, which saw the most injuries in the last ten years.
In Barnsley, 165 people were seriously injured on the roads last year, nine of whom died.
In 2022, road accidents caused the death of fewer people in the area eight.
A total of 1,645 road users were killed in crashes across the country in 2023, a decline of four per cent from the 1,711 in 2022.
Nick Simmons, CEO of RoadPeace, the national charity for road crash victims, said the figures were ‘encouraging’, but traffic collisions still cause ‘unacceptable loss of life and extreme suffering’.
“The ripple effect goes far beyond the statistics it devastates families and shatters communities,” he added.
“We need to see collective action and commitment from everyone to deliver a significant reduction in road deaths and serious injuries and to create safer streets for all.”
Across Britain, a total of 132,063 road casualties were recorded in 2023 down three per cent from the year before.
Most of these were in London, with 26,138, while the North East saw the fewest, with 4,018.
In Yorkshire and The Humber, 12,833 people were injured or killed.
Nicholas Lyes, director of policy and standards at IAM RoadSmart, said little progress has been made in reducing the number of deaths on the roads in 2023.
“It is a stark reminder to all parties that an updated road safety plan as well as a national roads renewal programme must be a priority for whomever forms the next government,” he added.
The RAC has pointed to a growing number of pedestrian fatalities and said it ‘should be a red flag to the government signifying just how dangerous our roads still are’.
There were 407 pedestrians killed on Britain’s roads in 2023.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “Any number of deaths on the road is too many, so we strongly encourage the new government not to take these figures lightly and to make road safety a priority.
“We continue to believe the government should reinstate road casualty reduction targets.”
Paul Castle, service director for environment and transport, said: “The safety of all road users is of paramount importance to us.
“From 2022 to 2023, the provisional data from the Department for Transport, which will be verified by the end of the year, shows that Barnsley saw 79 more road casualties, a rise of 18.4 per cent from 2022.
“This figure is lower than the number of casualties reported in the six years before the pandemic.
“However, every single death or serious injury is a tragedy, and one casualty is too many.
“As part of the Barnsley Safer Roads Partnership, we continue to work with partners by using a safe systems approach to reduce casualties and make safety a priority in planning, design, operation and use.
“This year, we’re investing more than £12m into maintaining and improving our highways, to make our roads safer across the borough.
“We ask all road users to take personal responsibility for their actions.
“Together, we can save lives and prevent casualties.”
