Fire fighters say there is ‘no need to speed’ after revealing number of Lancashire crashes they attended last year.

This week the fire service is taking part in Road Safety Week (20-26 November), coordinated by Brake, the road safety charity, which this year is focused on the danger of speeding.

The fire service attended 621 crashes in 2022, the majority of these incidents were caused by speeding and were preventable.

The fire service is now reminding motorists that there is “no need to speed” and that how they travel affects everyone.

Clare Burscough, prevention officers for the fire service, said “Road traffic collisions are a huge part of our firefighter’s daily work. Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service attended 621 road traffic collisions in 2022, many of these incidents had inappropriate speed as a causation factor and were preventable.

 “Road traffic collisions can be traumatic for people as firefighters use equipment designed to cut through metal which are loud. That, along with flying glass and potential injuries is not a pleasant situation for someone to be in.

"Everyone at some point has had to drive past the scene of a road traffic collision on the motorway and whilst your main concern is the delays it has caused you on your journey, there is no denying that it looks a scary experience and that alone should encourage people to think no need to speed.”

The latest road casualty statistics show that, in 2022, 1,766 people died on UK roads, a 10 per cent increase on figures from the previous year.

Analysis by road safety charity Brake also found that in the same period, road deaths caused by drivers exceeding the speed limit rose by 20 per cent.

Ross Moorlock, interim chief executive at Brake, said: “Road death is sudden. It's traumatic. It sends shockwaves across families, schools, workplaces and communities.

"This year, we have already supported more than 1,500 people affected by road crashes through our National Road Victim Service.

“Today, five people will be killed on our roads. And tomorrow, another five won’t make it home to their families. And so on, and so on, until we all say 'Enough!’ and start taking responsibility for each other’s safety on the road.

“The speed we choose to drive at can mean the difference between life and death. Our speed dictates whether we can stop in time to avoid a crash, and the force of impact if we can't stop.

"This Road Safety Week, whoever you are, and however you travel, I urge you to join the conversation and talk about speed. Please talk to as many people as you can to find out why, when five people die on our roads every day, so many of us still choose to drive too fast.”