MORE will be done to make Gloucestershire roads safer as 1,232 people were hurt in accidents, according to the latest figures.

Gloucestershire County Council has agreed to set up a group to improve the authority’s road safety policy.

Councillors from different parties will form part of the cabinet panel to provide feedback into the review of the effectiveness of the policy.

This would include looking at planned and completed safety projects and would meet with cabinet members and officers to highlight parts of the policy which need updating.

Figures show there were 1,232 casualties on the county’s roads in 2022, up from the 2018 to 2022 average of 1,047.

In 2022, 32 people lost their lives in road accidents. This is a 27 per cent increase on the 2018 to 2022 average.

Councillor Roger Whyborn (LD, Benhall and Up Hatherley) put forward the motion on road safety at Shire Hall on May 22.

This was amended by fire, community safety and libraries cabinet member Dave Norman (C, Grange and Kingsway).

“The number of serious road casualties for Gloucestershire remains stubbornly high,” he said.

“It’s significant compared to other areas where we are not doing well at all compared to the rest of the UK.

He said there has been a drop in 2023 but it is far too early to say whether that represents “turning a corner”.

“We welcome the cross party working that there has been and we look forward to more and that more money has been put into road safety recently by the administration.”

Cllr Norman said Britain’s roads show 1,711 fatalities in 2022. He said he is passionate about road safety and the county needs to find every way possible to reduce the numbers of casualties.

“Primarily, [we must] reduce the number of those who are killed and seriously injured on our roads and make it a priority,” he said.

“This administration working with others through the road safety partnership will continue to work hard to meet our aspiration of vision zero by 2050 and see a 50 per cent reduction by 2032.”

He said by creating a cross party panel councillors can contribute with ideas to improve road safety. “Road safety isn’t and must never be political,” he said.

“The work of the partnership must be to make Gloucestershire’s roads safer through education, engineering and enforcement.”