Cambridgeshire has been revealed as the fifth-worst area in the United Kingdom for the number of car occupant deaths from road accidents across nine years.

Data from the Department for Transport (DFT) revealed that from 2013 to 2022, there were 180 fatal road accidents in which the driver/passenger of the car had died in a road incident.

The statistics for all 211 local authorities included in the data was compiled from the 42 police authorities in Great Britain.

Of the 211 local authorities, only Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Kent and Essex recorded more car occupant deaths from road accidents than Cambridgeshire.

Lincolnshire recorded the highest number of car occupant deaths, with 256.

The latest data recorded shows that in 2022, there were 21 road accidents that resulted in the death of car occupants across the county, the joint fourth-highest in the UK.

This was the third-highest total in Cambridgeshire since 2013 and the highest number since 2016 and 2017 (24 deaths).

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The DFT's statistics also included the number of fatal road incidents involving pedestrians, pedal cyclists, motorcyclists, bus, van, HGV, and other vehicle occupants for Cambridgeshire. 

Compared to other local authorities in the other data sets, Cambridgeshire had the highest number of Bus Occupant deaths from road accidents across the UK from 2013 to 2022, with five.

Cambridgeshire was the joint third-highest for HGV occupant fatalities, with nine deaths, and the ninth-highest for pedal cyclist deaths across the UK, with 22.

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Speaking about the data, the DFT said that nationally, in 2022, road casualties showed signs of a return to pre-pandemic trends, increasing compared to 2020 and 2021.

In reported road collisions in Great Britain in 2022, the final estimates showed that there were 1,711 fatalities, a decline of two per cent compared to 2019.

What do you think? Why do you think the number of fatal road incidents in Cambridgeshire is so high, and which roads are most dangerous? Let us know and email Alexander.Gilham@newsquest.co.uk.