Deaths on East Yorkshire roads down, but serious accidents still numbered over 160 in 2012

DEATHS on the East Riding's roads have reduced but police are warning high-visibility campaigns will continue.

Crashes claimed the lives of 14 people last year, compared with 17 road deaths in 2011.

But there has been little reduction in the number of serious accidents, with 166 in the past 12 months compared with 167 the previous year.

Inspector Mark Hughes, who is responsible for roads policing in the East Riding, warned motorists can expect to see more safety campaigns and roadside checks.

He said: "It is pleasing the number of fatalities has reduced.

"That has been a trend for a number of years and it is continuing, which is very encouraging.

"The amount of serious accidents has remained static.

"It's good they've not gone up but we have to keep going to try to reduce them."

Police say poor driving and speeding are to blame for a significant percentage of accidents on the roads in the East Riding.

Insp Hughes said: "The majority of accidents are caused by bad driving, whether it's speeding or inappropriate driving.

"A lot of crashes are down to driver behaviour and this is something we have to tackle."

Insp Hughes insists police campaigns are not designed to penalise motorists.

He said: "It's not just about enforcement. It's about educating people to be better drivers.

"We are not out to penalise drivers – we have to do so in certain circumstances but the emphasis is on education, to get people to drive appropriately and obey the laws of the road.

"We want people to drive safely."

Safety initiatives will continue to target high-risk groups including young drivers, as well as high-speed motorcyclists and drivers.

Insp Hughes said: "There are some very good young drivers but young people do tend to drive very quickly.

"It's a youth thing, whether it's from TV or video games I don't know but it has always been a problem and we will continue to target young drivers to educate them."

Police campaigns will focus on key routes where accidents are a major issue, including the A164, A165, A166, A1079, A1033, B1248 and B1249.

A series of roadside checks will get underway in the coming days.

Previous spot checks have identified high numbers of defects on vehicles.

Insp Hughes said: "The main reason for doing the checks is not to catch people out and raise revenue, it's to make people aware.

"If vehicles are not fit for the conditions it can contribute to accidents."

Insp Hughes is also urging motorists not to cut corners on vehicle maintenance.

He said: "It's always a concern in the current financial climate that some people might be tempted to skimp on repairs and maintenance.

"We obviously appreciate there is a financial squeeze but you can't afford to skimp on maintenance because the consequences could be catastrophic."