FOLLOWING the release of the 2021 road casualty report, it shows that fatalities on Cumbria's roads are returning back to pre-pandemic levels. 

In 2021, there were 22 fatal road casualties recorded within the county, a figure which has increased by five when comparing to 2020. 

When considering fatal and serious crashes, the county displayed a figure of 211 incidents in 2021. 

The government report also highlighted that in 2019, there were 29 fatal incidents on Cumbrian roads, the highest the county has seen in the past decade. 

There have been 250 fatal crashes in Cumbria since 2012, according to the report. 

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On a national scale, the 2021 road casualty report showed 1,558 fatalities on British roads. 

Throughout Cumbria, there were a total of 743 collisions recorded, a figure uncategorised by severity. 

Interestingly, the report shows that nation-wide E-scooter collisions are up by 193 per cent from 2020 - with 10 riders killed in collisions involving e-scooters, compared to 1 in 2020. 

Of the total 1,434 incidents involving E-scooters, Cumbria displayed a figure of 3 crashes involving e-scooters. 

Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, said: “We were hopeful that the lockdowns and restricted travel throughout the pandemic would reset road deaths, but sadly they have increased from 2020 and a new trend has become more established.

"As e-scooter trials continue across the country, crashes involving e-scooters rose by 193 per cent in 2021 compared to 2020. The wider introduction of micromobility into the national transport picture must look at how we can adopt new and emerging personal mobility tech without compromising the safety of all road users, including pedestrians.

"Great Britain has some of the world’s safest roads, making it to number six in the world league, but the ambition needs for it to be the leader in reducing and eliminating road traffic fatalities. With a new Ministerial Transport team, we strongly urge the new Secretary of State to put road safety front and centre of her priorities," he said. 

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