ROAD police in Cheshire have urged motorists to play their part in helping to prevent deaths on the county’s roads.

This week saw a number of inquests take place into road deaths in Northwich, Winsford and beyond, following a spate of serious crashes since last autumn.

Families, friends, witnesses and emergency service workers have sat through the harrowing details in Cheshire’s coroners’ courts, and the roads policing team is now urging a collaborative approach to improving safety.

Northwich Guardian:

A crash in Ollershaw Lane in October claimed one life

Superintendent Jo Marshall-Bell is head of the Cheshire Police roads policing unit.

Supt Marshall-Bell said: “Seeing so many inquests for fatal collisions in such a short period of time is a sad and stark reminder of how many people are needlessly dying on Cheshire’s roads.

“While there were many different factors involved in these collisions, they all have one thing in common – the devastating impact they have on family members and friends.

“Fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, siblings, grandparents and friends have all died on Cheshire roads in recent time – such a sad waste of precious lives.”

Northwich Guardian:

A crash in Northwich Road, Hartford, killed two

More than twice the number of people died on Cheshire’s roads in 2018 in comparison to the previous year.

Last week alone, the Guardian reported on three fatal crashes in Northwich and Winsford, with four lives lost.

Tragically, these incidents all took place within a period of four days and involved speeding, drink-driving and not wearing a seatbelt.

Supt Marshall-Bell said: “What is particularly frustrating is the fact that nearly all fatal collisions are preventable.

“As a force we are committed to doing all we can to educate drivers and robustly enforce laws designed to keep our roads, and the members of the public who use them, safe.

“However, we cannot do this alone. Everyone has a role to play.”

Northwich Guardian:

A Winsford cyclist died in a High Street crash

If you are twice the legal limit of alcohol, you are at least 50 times more likely to be involved in a fatal collision, while not wearing a seatbelt increases your chances of dying in a crash by 50 per cent.

Using a mobile phone behind the wheel affects your reaction time as much as drink driving, and speeding has been proven to be involved in at least 20 per cent of all fatal crashes.

Supt Marshall-Bell added: “All motorists can play their part by keeping to speed limits, not drinking or taking drugs before driving, not using mobile phones behind the wheel, wearing seatbelts and generally paying 100 per cent attention to the roads and other users.

“Only by working together can we reduce the number of people being killed and seriously injured on our roads and prevent what has become the all too common knock on the door from a police officer bearing bad news that will change lives forever.”