Community

Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire amongst most dangerous places to drive in Wales

Published

3 years ago

May 16, 2022

THIS Road Safety Week, a report from consumer law company, Slater and Gordon, has highlighted the most dangerous areas to travel in.

The report uses the Department for Transport’s available road traffic accident data from 2018-2020 and expert insights and analysis from Slater and Gordon. It assesses incident hotspots involving personal injury, including the severity of injury, age of the victim and type of vehicle involved.

Carmarthenshire came out top in Wales as the area where road users are most likely to be injured in a road accident with approximately 1,035 people, being injured in some type of collision. Cardiff took second spot with approximately 986 people being hurt in a collision over the three-year period. Powys saw 901 injuries, Swansea 694, Rhondda 685 and Pembrokeshire 655. Newport experienced 595 people injured in accidents and Flintshire, 507. To account for a variance in population numbers, the regions were ranked in relation to accidents per person.

The worst regions to travel in Wales, are as follows:

Carmarthenshire
Cardiff
Powys
Swansea
Rhondda
Pembrokeshire
Newport
Flintshire

Those living in Scotland and Wales were most likely to be involved in a serious or fatal collision compared to the rest of the UK, with 31% of accidents in Scotland and 24% in Wales deemed to be serious or fatal. Perhaps surprisingly given its size and volume of traffic, London came bottom of this list with 15% of accidents in the area classed as serious or fatal.

When it comes to cyclists, London was the least safe with one in five (19%) accidents in the city involving a bicycle user compared to 10% in Wales, the lowest figure in the UK. Likewise, London was the least safe city for motorbike users with more than one in five (21%) accidents involving a motorbike whereas just 13% of accidents in Wales involved a motorbike.

Matt Jarvis, Chief Commercial & Insurance Services Officer at Slater and Gordon, said: “The data regarding road accidents and collisions is concerning to see. Collectively, drivers have a responsibility to ensure they are using the road in the safest way possible.

“Accidents will of course always happen but by raising awareness of the data this Road Safety Week, we really hope that those in the most prolific accident hotspots really take notice and think about their
driving behaviours. Ultimately, we want to make the UK’s roads safer for everyone.”

“Of course, this data dates from before the Covid 19 pandemic and we know that the number of road traffic accidents did decrease significantly during periods of lockdown. However, we haven’t yet seen the full impact of post-Covid changes in road usage behaviour, nor the impact of recent changes to road policy or innovation in car manufacturing. It will be incredibly interesting to see the impact on our roads in 2021 and beyond and what measures road users, car manufacturers, and the Government take to safeguard all road users.”

Community

Paul Lucas receives British Empire Medal for services to education and charity

Published

2 hours ago

January 23, 2025

Tom Sinclair

ONE of the driving forces behind the creation of Haverfordwest High VC School has been honoured with the British Empire Medal.

Mr Paul Lucas received his insignia from His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Dyfed, Miss Sara Edwards, at a special ceremony at County Hall, Haverfordwest, on Monday, January 20^th.

Mr Lucas was named in the New Year Honours for services to education and charity in Pembrokeshire.

Mr Lucas was Chairman of Governors at the newly created Haverfordwest High VC School at the time of its official opening by Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal in 2022.

Mr Lucas oversaw the amalgamation of the former Sir Thomas Picton and Tasker Milward schools into Haverfordwest High and the building of the fantastic new school on the former Sir Thomas Picton site.

Hosting the event, the Chairman of Pembrokeshire County Council Cllr Steve Alderman noted that many, many thousands of students for decades to come will enjoy first class educational facilities at the new school, thanks to the dedication of Mr Lucas.

His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Dyfed, Miss Sara Edwards, said: “On behalf of His Majesty The King, it was an honour and an enormous privilege to present Mr Paul Lucas with the British Empire Medal.

“Mr Lucas has provided incredible service to Pembrokeshire and Haverfordwest in particular and has been a driving force for educational improvement. His work will have a lasting legacy for future generations.”

Assisting the Lord-Lieutenant for the ceremony was Lord-Lieutenant Cadet Sergeant Mariana Lemon.

Also in attendance for the special occasion were the Leader of Pembrokeshire County Council, Cllr Jon Harvey; the High Sheriff of Dyfed, Helen Jones, and Deputy Lieutenant of Dyfed, Col Martin Green, along with Mr Lucas’ family and invited guests.

Community

County Show calling all Pembrokeshire parents and teachers

Published

2 hours ago

January 23, 2025

Tom Sinclair

SCHOOLCHILDREN from across the county are invited to the next Food Story event, Nutritious, Delicious & Local, which will take place at the Pembrokeshire County Showground on Wednesday, March 5, and Thursday, March 6, 2025.

This exciting event, suitable for pupils from Year 2 to Year 11, will offer a hands-on learning experience focusing on health and well-being, as well as the role of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in local food production. Topics will include how weather and climate impact farming, the growth of crops, and the daily challenges faced by farmers.

Children will also have the chance to cook and sample local produce, making it a truly interactive and educational experience.

All primary and secondary schools across Pembrokeshire will receive an invitation and booking form to attend. If teachers have not received the email and would like to participate, they are encouraged to contact the Pembrokeshire Showground Office at [email protected] as soon as possible.

Don’t miss this opportunity to inspire the next generation about the importance of nutritious, local food!

Community

Two hundred years of railways: ‘Railway 200’ launches in Aberystwyth

Published

3 hours ago

January 23, 2025

Tom Sinclair

WALES is geared up to mark 200 years of passenger rail travel this year as the UK marks the historic anniversary of the advent of the modern rail.

As part of the celebrations, a launch event is being held in Aberystwyth today, kicking off a year of events around the country.

Dr Louise Moon, Transport for Wales’ Railway 200 Programme Lead said it was exciting to be showcasing Wales’ history as well as promoting the innovations that are taking place now.

She said: “We’re incredibly excited to be sharing so much of our history across Wales within our communities, telling the stories of innovation, grit and determination.

“Railway 200 celebrates so much of our social and cultural history and how the railways transformed our country and made it what it is today.

“Towns like Aberystwyth grew massively with the arrival of the railway so it’s great to be launching the year of events here.

“We want to inspire a new generation not just with our proud history but through science, technology and innovation that is taking place right now as we are going through the next major transformation of our network which will connect future generations within Wales.”

While the milestone marks 200 years since the first passenger steam journey on the Stockton & Darlington Railway in September 27, 1825, Wales can rightly claim a huge part in the build up to that historic journey.

In 1804 Cornish engineer Richard Trevithick designs the Pen-y-Darren locomotive which pulled 10 tonnes of coal 10 miles from the Pen-y-Darren Ironworks in Merthyr Tydfil to Abercynon.

And then in 1807, the Swansea and Mumbles Railway saw the world’s first fare paying passengers, with horses pulling their carriage along the rail tracks, proving a widely popular experience.

Transport for Wales is writing its own chapter in that history electrifying the core valley lines in south east Wales, building new stations and depots, and making an £800 million investment in new trains.

As part of the wider plans to tell the story of Railway 200 across the UK, four main themes will be explored.

· Skills & Education

· Innovation, Technology & Environment

· Heritage, Culture & Tourism

· Celebrating Railway People For more information visit https://tfw.wales/railway-200