Deaths on the roads increase

ROAD deaths in Greater Manchester have increased — bucking the national trend.

In 2007, there were 93 road deaths across the region — up from 90 the previous year.

However, according to figures released by the Department for Transport, the number of accidents on the roads fell significantly from 11,795 in 2006 to 10,702 last year.

Numbers “slightly injured” also fell from 10,861 to 9,772.

“Serious injuries” across Greater Manchester fell from 844 to 837 in the same period.

Road safety minister Jim Fitzpatrick said: “These figures are extremely encouraging. They show that for the first time since records began in 1926 the number of people killed on our roads has fallen below 3,000.

“We’ve cut the number of people killed or seriously injured each year by more than a third since the mid-1990s. That means almost 17,000 fewer deaths or serious injuries on our roads last year.

“But these figures make us determined to do even more. Far too many people are still dying and we will continue to do everything we can to improve road safety and further reduce the numbers of people killed or injured.”

Nationally, road deaths fell to the lowest levels since records began with 2,943 fatalities — a 7 per cent decrease from the previous year.