All 1,463 car crashes in Suffolk last year - mapped
There were almost 1,500 crashes on Suffolk's roads in 2018 Picture: ARCHANT - Credit: Archant
Suffolk’s roads saw a car crash every six hours in 2018 - with almost 1,500 collisions across the county.
In figures released by the Department for Transport (DfT), there were 1,463 crashes in 2018 - an average of four every day.
The worst junction for collisions in Suffolk is in Ipswich, with eight incidents at the corner of Yarmouth Road and Handford Road, next to the River Gipping.
The number of fatal car accidents increased annually already - up from 16 in 2018 to 22 as of September 2019 - however the number of car crashes falling countywide.
The most recent fatal accident was motorcyclist Paul Dawes, 36, from the Newton area, who died a week after he was involved in a collision on September 19 on the A1017.
Mary Evans, Suffolk County Council's deputy leader and cabinet member for highways, transport and rural Affairs, says that every fatal accident is a tragedy.
"All of us involved in road safety know that each and every fatal accident on Suffolk's roads is a tragedy and leaves a legacy of pain for the families, friends and colleagues of those who have been killed," said Mrs Evans. "We all feel that one death on our roads would be one too many.
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"We had a team at the Copdock Bike Show offering free training sessions to motorbike riders, and we have a working group planning the Christmas campaign targeting people tempted to drink or take drugs and drive."
The A Road with the most crashes last year was the A14, with 87 incidents, closely followed by the A12 with 78.
More crashes happened in East Suffolk's authority than anywhere else in Suffolk, with Ipswich in second place and West Suffolk in third.
More than half the collisions happened in 30mph zones in the county.
Tim Passmore, Suffolk Police and Crime Commisioner, said he is not surprised that the A14 topped the list with the most crashes in 2018.
He said: "These statistics are cause for great concern, as there is a human cost to any of these accidents. It's worrying for all of us.
"We have to remember that most accidents are caused by driver error and poor driving."
Mr Passmore said that as the population had grown so too had the number of vehicles on the roads, which was a problem for older roads in the county.
"The vast majority of our roads were made for horses and carts," said Mr Passmore.
More people have diedon Suffolk's roads so far in 2019 than in the whole of 2018 Picture: DAVID LAMMING - Credit: DAVID LAMMING
