POLICE and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez has told public sector employers in the South West that more must be done to reduce road casualties in the region.

Speaking at the Highways England – Driving for Better Business south west regional summit, held recently, Ms Hernandez said the region’s employers had a major role to play in keeping the road safe.

“Road safety is the number one issue that the public contact me about,” said Ms Hernandez. Last year, tragically, over 2,000 people were killed or seriously injured on the roads across the South West – including 853 in Devon and Cornwall. We must all do more to cut this dreadful statistic.”

The South West has hundreds of thousands of public sector workers working in many sectors including the emergency services, local authorities, military and NHS amongst others.

“Public organisations have a legal duty and moral responsibility to ensure the safety of their employees and the public when using the roads for work purposes – this includes staff travelling to and from work,” she said. “It also makes financial sense as safer working practices prevent costly claims and fines.”