A DOZEN people died and hundreds were seriously injured on Gwent's roads last year, figures for Gwent Police show.

With reduced road usage during the Covid pandemic, fatal and serious road traffic accidents dropped by more than a fifth across the country - but 12 people still lost their lives due to crashes around Gwent in 2020.

However, less traffic contributed to a two per cent decline in the number of people killed or seriously hurt locally and an overall drop of 32 per cent in the total number of casualties - from 971 in 2019 to 664.

Department for Transport figures show at least 250 suffered serious, potentially life-changing injuries.

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A Department for Transport spokesman said: "While we have some of the safest roads in the world, this government will continue to work tirelessly to ensure they are made even safer.

"Our targeted THINK! Campaign continues to educate road-users, and as part of our 2019 Road Safety Statement we committed to a two-year action plan to help promote safer driving on our roads."

The number of people left with slight injuries is likely to be higher than the 402 recorded as not all crashes or collisions are reported.

Road traffic across Britain dropped by over a fifth in 2020 compared to the previous year, with the overall number of casualties plunging by a quarter in that time.

But cyclist deaths rose, from 100 in 2019 to 140 last year.

A spokesman for road safety charity Brake said the national decrease in deaths and serious injuries represented a step in the right direction and demonstrated the possibility of reducing casualties.

He called for better investment in vehicle safety and infrastructure, more segregated spaces for cyclists and pedestrians and appropriate speed limits, adding, "every death on our roads is a tragedy for the victims' loved ones, while injuries can have devastating consequences on an individual’s life.

"We need a concerted focus on reducing road deaths and catastrophic injuries," he said. "This requires ambitious targets to end the carnage on our roads."

AA president Edmund King said 2020's reduction in road traffic casualties should not become a "one-off" as he called for the UK Government to introduce road safety targets.

He said, "regardless of how we use the roads, we all have a responsibility to one another to ensure people can travel safely.”

"For many years the government has not set any road safety targets.

"If we are serious about a vision zero for road deaths the government should urgently reintroduce targets so we can work hard to end road deaths as quickly as possible."

A spokesperson for Welsh Government said: "As Covid restrictions ease, road usage will inevitably increase and our road safety measures will aim to reduce the possibility of road traffic accidents.

"Our Road Safety Grant provides funding every year to local authorities to help reduce deaths and serious injuries on our roads.

"Statistics consistently show the highest proportion of all casualties occur on 30mph roads. That is why we are committed to reducing the national default speed limit on roads in residential areas from 30mph to 20mph."

The Welsh Government are in the process of rolling out eight pilot projects in settlements across Wales where a consistent and steady 20 mph speed limit will be in place.

"The trial is part of our plans to reduce the national speed limit in residential areas, from 30mph to a safer 20 mph in April 2023. There is overwhelming evidence that lower speeds result in fewer collisions and a reduced severity of injuries; and consistent evidence that casualties are reduced when 20mph limits are introduced. It is also hoped the 20 mph speed limits will help improve air quality as more people feel safer to replace a car trip with walking and cycling."