Road-crash toll has halved in a decade

THE number of collisions on Greater Manchester roads has more than halved in the past decade.

The figures in a report to Transport for Greater Manchester’s capital projects and policy sub-committee outlined the progress being made to reduce casualties.

Overall, the number of road collisions per year has fallen by more than 55 per cent in the past 10 years — from 16,990 in 2000 to 7,585 in 2010 — and the number of people killed or seriously injured in collisions per year has fallen by more than a third from 1,123 to 743.

Road casualties fell by more than 18 per cent between 2009 and 2010.

The report also provided projections for the Greater Manchester Casualty Reduction Partnership’s aims to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured in collisions over the next 10 years from 743 a year to 551, the vision for 2020.

In addition to the human cost of a collision, Department for Transport figures indicate that achieving the 2020 target could save the Greater Manchester economy an estimated £3.5 million a year.

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is a member of the Greater Manchester Casualty Reduction Partnership.

Councillor Andrew Fender, chairman of the TfGM committee, said: “It is encouraging to see such a dramatic reduction in the number of collisions and casualties on the region’s roads, but the hard work and determination must be maintained to ensure this downward trend continues.”