Police urge slower driving after two separate deaths in one day

POLICE are urging drivers to slow down after a series of serious accidents saw two men lose their lives and another seriously hurt.

Daniel Martin, 18, died in hospital after his motorcycle crashed with a car in Kingswood, Hull, on Saturday, the same day as a man aged 40 was killed when his red Ducati motorcycle hit a car in Bilton, and a 30-year-old man from Brough suffered serious chest and back injuries in a collision in South Cave.

Although the numbers of people being killed or seriously injured on the region’s roads is falling, and it has yet to be established whether excessive speed contributed to any of the weekend’s accidents, statistics show speed is one of the main causes of fatal and serious collisions.

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A total of 28 people died on the region’s roads last year, which shows a steady fall from the 37 killed in 2009 and the 42 who died in 2008.

A further 469 people suffered serious injuries last year, compared to 463 in 2009 and 541 the year before that.

Figures also show that 70 per cent of drivers break urban speed limits each day.

Humberside Police is launching a month-long crackdown on speeding drivers and is joining forces with the Safer Roads Humber partnership, Humberside Fire and Rescue Service, the Highways Agency and the four Humber councils to increase enforcement activity – while also issuing a plea to road users to slow down.

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Chief Superintendent Colin Andrews said: “Speed awareness is not the only aspect of road safety we want the public to think about at this time of year as it is vital we all play our part in order to make our regions roads safer, so I would ask not only motorists but also the families of drivers and bikers to urge them to slow down and concentrate when venturing out onto our local roads.

“Over this weekend alone we had a number of serious road traffic incidents on the north bank which resulted in two motorbike riders losing their lives, a car driver suffering serious injuries after his vehicle left the road and a young boy was also injured after being in collision with a car.

“It is vital at this time of year that motorists and parents alike play their part in reducing the number of casualties on our roads by allowing more time for your journey, driving sensibly in accordance with the road conditions and nature of the road itself, and also making sure your children are aware of the safest places to cross the roads around where you live or by preventing them from being able run out on their own.

“We have at least two families who are struggling to come to terms with the events which have led to them losing family members over the course of the weekend so please help us to reduce the chances of this happening again.”

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Chief Inspector Darren Downs said many motorists did not even realise they were speeding. “The majority of motorists who are caught exceeding the speed limit do not do so intentionally,” he said.

“They become distracted and are often unaware of the speed they are travelling at. The issue is about reminding drivers to re-focus their concentration and that is what we aim to do through this campaign.”

Mick Harris, partnership manager of Safer Roads Humber, said: “My view is that motorists are not infallible. Ninety-five per cent of collisions are through driver error and lack of attention is the major cause of collisions. The problem is the faster you are going the more serious that crash will be. You have less time to react and less time to take account of surrounding circumstances. That’s why we promote the reduction in speed.”

Anyone caught speeding will be dealt with in the “most appropriate” manner, the force said, although most will be offered the option of attending a speed awareness course as an alternative to prosecution.

About 2,000 drivers choose this option in the force area each month.

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