New map highlights all the fatal crashes across the Harborough districts in the last five years

A detailed new map plots all the fatal crashes across Harborough in the last five years.

The Department for Transport graphic shows that apart from the busy M1 and A6, people were killed on quieter rural routes.

Retweeted by Harborough police, the map illustrates that fatal accidents happened at villages like Newton Harcourt, Wistow, Tur Langton, Lubenham and throughout the Lutterworth area as well as at Market Harborough.

Harborough police said: “We can’t be everywhere.

“We try to look at stats from RTCs (road traffic collisions) and covert speed monitoring to work out the best places that need enforcement.

“Here is a map of all the fatal RTCs in the last five years.

“You can see that, bar the M1, rural roads have most incidents.”

Police are acting as the country’s Road Safety Week, staged by leading charity Brake, gets under way.

And Cllr Phil King, who leads Harborough council, is exhorting motorists to slow down and not drink or take drugs as deaths and crashes on the district’s roads hit a six-year high.

He issued his plea as the latest figures showed six people were killed and 69 collisions recorded in Harborough in the 12 months up until March this year.

“We all have to work hard and pull together more than ever to cut the number of collisions, deaths and injuries in our area.

“Too many drivers still go too fast.

“It’s well known that speeding is a major contributory factor in causing accidents.

“Whether you are driving a car, a van, a lorry or riding a motorbike or even a cycle – slow down,” insisted Cllr King.

“My advice is simple.

“Stick to the speed limits and drive to the conditions as we begin to get bad weather during the winter and you’ll slash your chances of having an accident and getting hurt.”