Borough records zero road deaths after safety works

The completion of road improvement works around the Mersey Gateway Bridge were cited as a factor

There were no deaths on the roads of a council borough last year for the first time in more than a decade, new figures have shown.

Statistics from the Department for Transport (DfT) showed a 16% drop in overall casualties in Halton, Cheshire, compared to a fall of 4% nationally.

The report concluded the completion of road improvement works together with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic had helped build a "steady state" in terms of traffic flow across the area.

The DfT said traffic away from motorways had almost returned to pre-pandemic levels and traffic had now actually increased compared to the year before.

A report on the figures to Halton Council's environment and regeneration policy and performance board said this made the fall in casualties "even more striking".

The figures showed there were 123 road traffic collisions involving personal injury in Halton, which is 35 fewer than the year before, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

'Safety engineering'

They resulted in 163 casualties, a 16% decrease on the 2023 figures, and 35% below 2019, when traffic levels were directly comparable.

There were 38 incidents in the seriously injured category, representing a decrease on the previous year, and continuing what the report said was a long-term downward trend.

There were no reported fatalities for the the first time in over a decade.

A total of three children were seriously injured, which also represented a decrease compared to six in 2023.

There was also a "significant decrease" in the number of people of all ages being slightly injured, with casualty numbers down to 127, from 156 in 2023.

The report concluded: "After almost a decade of turbulence in traffic conditions in Halton caused by the major reconfiguration of the local highway network associated with the building of the Mersey Gateway Bridge, together with the impact of the Covid pandemic, the past two years have seen an almost steady state in terms of traffic flows within the borough.

"This has allowed a better focus for road safety engineering interventions in our highway network."