Road safety is a real concern to many communities and individuals in the Wealden area. This is not surprising when the statistics are reviewed, which show that the number of people killed or seriously injured on the district’s roads, in recent years, remains stubbornly high and is higher than any other district in East Sussex.
When the data for crashes occurring in the Wealden area are broken down by age and gender it is clear that males are more prone to being killed, seriously injured and slightly injured than females, and that generally younger drivers / riders, aged between 17 and 29 are the most at risk age groups. However depending on how the ages are grouped together other age groups also emerge as at risk.
Wealden District Council has recently undertaken a review of road safety and produced a report which provides detailed data, reviews some of the relevant literature about the subject and suggests a way forward. The full report can be downloaded below.
Most crashes in Wealden occur during the months of May, June, August and December and on Fridays and Saturdays, however these differences are marginal, with crashes occurring in high numbers each month and day of the week. The timings of crashes tend to be the most common during the daytime hours, between 7:00am and peaking at 3:00pm and then trailing off after that, picking up again the next day at 7:00am.
Cars, the larger motorcycles, pedal cycles and lighter goods vans are the most likely mode of transport to be involved in crashes respectively; however the vast majority, over 70%, involve cars.
Most drivers / riders (over 60%) have serious crashes within ten miles from their homes and this figure increases to approximately 77% when the distance is increased to 20 miles. This may partly be explained because most driving / riding time is within this distance zone. However it may also have something to do with familiarity, habit and lack of concentration.
The main contributory factors for crashes (all ages) are:
- failing to look properly,
- failing to judge the other persons path or speed;
- careless / reckless / in a hurry;
- loss of control; and
- poor turn or manoeuvre.
Driving the Message Home – A Review of Road Safety in the Wealden District A report produced by Wealden District Council on road safety; November 2014.
Driving the Message Home – A Review of Road Safety in the Wealden District ‘Summary Report’ If you would prefer a summary of the main report; November 2014.
Help yourself to stay safe – report anti-social driving through the Operation Crackdown website
Sharing Responsibility – Changing Behaviour – A Review of the Number of People Killed or Seriously Injured on Wealden’s Roads by the Community Scrutiny Committee working party; February 2010.
For lots more information and news about Road Safety, visit Sussex Safer Roads Partnership