Spate of Dumfries and Galloway road deaths sparks safety plea

A spate of fatal crashes in south-west Scotland has prompted a safety plea before extra summer traffic arrives.

Five people have been killed in four separate crashes in Dumfries and Galloway since 1 April when police start recording annual figures.

There were no deaths on the region's roads over the same period in 2018.

A police spokesman said it was "bad start" to the year but they would look at numbers over a longer time frame before drawing any conclusions.

Recent figures for the region show an annual average of 12 deaths in road crashes.

There have already been five fatalities in the first six weeks of police recording of incidents for this year.

One woman was killed in a tractor crash near the village of Terregles in April.

Three people then died in two separate crashes in the space of less than 24 hours on the A74(M) motorway - one near Ecclefechan, the other close to Kirkpatrick-Fleming - the following month.

A few days later a motorcyclist lost his life on the A709 near Lockerbie.

Insp Campbell Moffat said investigations were continuing into the incidents.

"Since 1 April this year we have sadly dealt with four fatal road traffic collisions on roads throughout Dumfries and Galloway, in which five persons have tragically lost their lives," he said.

"Each of these collisions - which I have no doubt will have had a lasting impact on relatives, friends and local communities - are currently the subject of a full road collision investigation to establish the cause.

"To reduce further casualties and influence driver and road user behaviour, road patrol officers will continue to patrol priority routes and engage with road users."

However, he said everyone could play a part in keeping accident levels as low as possible.

"We all have a duty to help each other stay safe," he said.

"As we head towards the summer months please note that extra traffic brought about by those visiting, or passing through Dumfries and Galloway on their holidays only adds to the potential dangers.

"Reducing the number of casualties on our roads is a priority for Police Scotland, however, we all need to work together to help achieve this goal."