DEATHS and serious injuries on Somerset roads rose last year – although there were fewer accidents than the previous year.

While injury crashes dropped from 2,228 to 2,019, there were 34 deaths, an increase of five, and 270 serious injuries, up 25.

Road safety experts attribute the rise to the economic crisis, with more people holidaying at home and a steep rise in summer accidents.

Terry Beale, of Somerset Road Safety Partnership, said: “It’s regrettable that the figures for deaths and serious injuries have risen after several years of reduction.

“We continuously monitor casualty figures to identify trends and highlight possible actions that can be taken to reduce the number of collisions and make our local roads safer for everyone.”

He added: “Driver education is clearly an important element.

“It’s only by changing driver and rider behaviour that we’ll see a lasting reduction in deaths and serious injuries.

“Particularly we have to get across the message to drivers to take a break of at least 15 minutes during long journeys.

“By the time they reach Somerset many have been at the wheel for three hours or more, often in heavy traffic, which is very tiring.

“Fatigue can lead to small errors of judgement which, even at relatively low speeds, can have serious consequences.”

Somerset Road Safety Partnership will be stepping up its publicity urging drivers to break their journey instead of pressing on and putting their own and passengers’ lives at risk.

*For more information, click on the Road Safety Somerset related link on this story.