Drivers are being asked to slow down and drive more carefully after new figures show around a forty per cent rise in the number of road traffic collisions crews have been called to in the last five years.

The new figures show crews have attended five road traffic collisions on London’s roads every day in the past year. They’ve been released to coincide with Road Safety Week (20-26 November 2017) and its campaign calling on drivers to ‘speed down save lives’.

Firefighters attended 1431 in 2012/13, with the number rising to 1981 in 2016/17.

In the last five years, firefighters have attended a total of 8731 road traffic collisions and crews have had to use specialist cutting equipment to release people from vehicles 2439 times.

In boroughs where they are large numbers of road traffic collisions, the Brigade helps deliver workshops, in partnership with Transport for London, like ‘Safe Drive Stay Alive’ to educate young drivers about the dangers of careless driving.

At the talks, firefighters also speak about their experiences of dealing with tragic incidents.

London Fire Brigade’s Director of Operations, Tom George said: “Our crews are spending an increasing amount of time attending road traffic collisions and I want to urge people to take care on the road.

“Crews are regularly called to serious road traffic collisions. Our firefighters are exceptionally well trained and have specialist equipment to free people who are trapped in vehicles.

“We are committed to reducing the number of road traffic collisions in London.

“We talk to young people across the capital at our Safe Drive Stay Alive seminars where emergency service staff and victims talk emotionally about the dangers and consequences associated with reckless driving.

“We also run Biker Down road safety training, designed to make bikers safer on London’s roads and host events at our fire stations where we simulate road traffic rescues to illustrate the dangers of unsafe driving.”