Spike in East Riding Road Crashes

Thursday, 16 March 2023 06:00

By Joe Gerrard, Local Democracy Reporter

The number of crashes and accidents on East Riding roads jumped due to bad weather during winter last year, data shows.

Figures from Humberside Fire and Rescue Service showed the number of collisions they attended peaked at 25 in December, the highest monthly total in at least three years.

Service District Manager Vicky Shakesby told East Riding councillors black ice and other winter hazards led to the spike with 45 crashes in two months alone.

It comes as the council’s Safer and Stronger Communities Sub-Committee heard the 159 accidents recorded from March 2022-3 was down from a high of 169 during the previous 12 months.

There were 11 deaths on East Riding roads in 2021 compared to four in 2020 and one this year.

Councillors heard accidents are thought to have spiked following the rush for people to get out on the roads following coronavirus lockdowns.

There was one crash recorded in February, down from 17 12 months ago and seven the year before that.

Fire service figures showed there were 15 accidents in January.

The number of crashes was down by one compared to January 2022.

Dale ward was the area of the East Riding which had the highest number of accidents with three.

Bridlington Central and Old Town and East Wolds and Coastal both had two, while 12 other wards had one each.

December was the month with the highest number of accidents in 2022, followed by November and July.

May and April were the months with the least, with 11 and 12 crashes respectively.

The spike at the end of last year came ahead of calls from East Riding councillors to review safety on the A63, including lowering its speed limit.

Councillors Richard Meredith, Julie Abraham and Pat Smith, who represent wards the A63 runs through, said they were concerned about safety, the effect on the local economy and environment.

Council Leader Cllr Jonathan Owen later said that the speed limit could be lowered depending on the outcome of trials to boost air quality being conducted elsewhere.

Ms Shakesby told councillors bad weather across the East Riding was thought to be responsible for the spike late last year.

She said:

“We had a significant spike because people were on the back roads with black ice on them.

“Unfortunately it really did raise our figures.

“We think the rationale behind the 2021 spike is everyone coming out of lockdown.

“People were going out to the coast, volume of people on the back roads and everything else.”

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