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City's shock car smash toll
More than 2,000 people have been injured in car accidents on Wearside roads in just three years.
Today the Echo can reveal the full extent of the dangers across the city with eight crashes every day reported by police.
Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show there have been 9,514 accidents between 2005 and September 2008.
And 2,264 of these incidents have resulted in minor or major injuries or death.
Today road safety chiefs urged motorists to obey the law or pay the price. Jeremy Forsberg, communications manager at Northumbria Safer Roads Initiative, said: "We are obviously working as hard as we can to reduce collisions on the roads.
"The vast majority are caused by motorists making stupid mistakes, not complying with the law, and not paying attention."
"We are working with various other people including the police and local authorities, as well as our Road Respect campaign, but ultimately it comes down to the motorist and we have got to work together to try and make roads safer."
The figures show there were 2,378 collisions in Sunderland in 2008 up to September, down from 3,106 in 2007.
In 2006, there were 3,003 collisions in the city and in 2005 there were 1,027.
Of the 9,514 collisions, 7,250 resulted in damage only to vehicles, 2,101 caused minor injuries, 141 resulted in serious injuries, and 22 of the collisions resulted in at least one death.
Durham Road is the most dangerous road, according to the figures, with 327 crashes between 2005 and 2008, resulting in two cases of deaths, six incidents of serious injuries, 72 cases of minor injuries, and 247 incidents where damage was caused to vehicles.
Sunderland Highway is the second worst road, with 175 collisions over the same period, resulting in three cases of deaths, one case of serious injuries, 32 incidents of minor injuries and 139 times when damage to vehicles was caused.
And Hylton Road came third in the league table of most crashes, with 112 collisions over the past four years, resulting in four cases of serious injury, 29 incidents of minor injuries and 79 cases when damage only was caused.
Mr Forsberg said authorities are working together to reduce collisions and injuries through campaigns, police enforcement and mobile and fixed speed cameras - which can also capture drivers who use mobile phones and other devices while driving.
He added: "If we want to reduce collisions motorists must make sure they are fully obeying the law, not using mobile phones, not playing with their sat navs, sticking to the speed limit and things like that.
"It is getting better - overall those killed or seriously injured in Sunderland has come down over the long term.
"A lot of progress is being made but we are nowhere near where anyone would like us to be."
* MORE than 1,000 people have been injured or killed in road crashes in East Durham over the past three years.
Figures released from Durham Constabulary under the Freedom of Information Act reveal there have been 1,268 slight casualties, 148 serious casualties and 13 deaths in the Durham city and East Durham areas between 2005 and 2007.
The A19 Easington has seen the most road crash injuries, with 148 casualties between 2005 and 2007 - three being fatal.
The A1086 at Easington has seen the second most casualties with 85 cases of injuries over the same period, with one being fatal.
And the B1280 at Easington came third in the league table, with 86 casualties between 2005 and 2007.
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Thursday 09 February 2012
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