Merseyside's road injuries and deaths up in 2023, figures show

The force said "key causation factors" were speeding, failing to wear a seatbelt or drug-driving

The number of incidents where people were killed or seriously injured on Merseyside's roads has risen by almost 100 in a year, figures have shown.

Merseyside Police data from a Freedom of Information request showed incidents rose from 459 in 2022 to 550 in 2023.

The figures also showed road deaths and serious injuries in the region were at a six-year high.

The force said "key causation factors" for the rise were speeding, failing to wear a seatbelt or drug-driving.

The figures also showed there were 499 people killed or seriously injured in 2018, 464 in 2019, 368 in 2020 and 464 in 2021.

Ch Insp Stuart McIver, who has responsibility for road policing, said there was "a lot more traffic" on the area's roads, but it was not volume that was the main issue.

"Some of the key causation factors are people travelling far in excess of the speed limit, distracted driving, people failing to wear a seatbelt and people still taking drugs and driving," he said.

Dave Jones volunteers with Aftermath Support after it helped him following his brother's death

The rise in the number of incidents has also seen an increase in referrals to Wirral-based charity Aftermath Support, which helps road crash victims and their families.

Chief executive Karen Blair said a "minimum of four family networks" were affected by every serious crash, which includes "witnesses... or those who were first on the scene".

"They've experienced some really nasty situations and have to deal with the aftermath of that," she said.

"The ripple effect can be far and wide."

Dave Jones, whose brother Simon was hit and killed by an 88-year-old driver while cycling through Hoylake in 2019, was supported by the charity.

The 55-year-old said the pair were "two peas in a pod" and "more than brothers", but he "only actually started to unravel the day we had to switch off his life support machine".

"I had to be practically carried to the ward," he said.

"I think that's when it really hit me."

Karen Blair said Aftermath Support had seen an increase in referrals

He said the support he received from the charity, which included helping him to arrange a funeral and understand police and coroner reports, led him to become a volunteer himself.

"Aftermath was the focal point for me every time I had a question," he said.

"They were able to answer it and if they weren't able to answer it, they would get the information for me to get me through the next stage".

Ch Insp McIver said Merseyside Police were working to educate road users as part of a strategy aimed at reducing collisions to zero by 2040.

He said the force had "targeted operations" around the "key thematic areas which cause collisions", but added that campaigns were only part of the solution.

"Everyone has a responsibility to make sure that our roads are safe, whether you're a pedestrian out for a walk, a cyclist or somebody driving a vehicle," he said.