IN A year that was different for so many reasons, the sad reality is many lives were still lost following crashes in Dorset.
Twenty-five people died after collisions involving vehicles across the county throughout 2020.
A force spokesperson said their current records showed that 16 lives were lost in road traffic collisions in 2020.
This figure does not include crashes on private roads/land and car parks, those due to a medical episode or incidents that are yet to be “validated”, with investigations still ongoing. These factors make up the remaining nine deaths.
There were 27 crash deaths across Dorset in 2019. The number of fatalities last year was more than the total of 16 killed in 2018, which was described as ‘the safest year on record for road users’ by Dorset Police.
An inspector from the force's traffic unit said the number of serious injury crashes was down in 2020 compared to the previous year.
The first fatal crash of 2020 happened just three days into the year, when 28-year-old Wareham mum Chloe Lloyd was pronounced dead at the scene of a single-vehicle collision on the Upton Bypass.
Five more people died as a result of crashes in January. A 69-year-old local man was killed after a single-vehicle crash involving a Ford Focus, which left the road in Matchams Lane, near Hurn, on January 20.
The following day a Skoda Roomster was involved in a crash with a Toyota HiAce panel van on the A30 at Babylon Hill, near Sherborne. The occupants of the Skoda, married couple Geoffrey, 88, and Angela Cave, 86, died in hospital in February.
Pedestrian Peter Bide, 90, died at the scene of a crash involving a car at the junction of The Street and Lower Sea Lane, Charmouth, on January 23.
On January 24, a single-vehicle crash occurred on an unnamed road running from Chalbury Common to Holt Forest in East Dorset.
The driver, a 20-year-old local man named by his family as Joshua Willis, was airlifted to Southampton General Hospital. He died the following day.
Ella Cooper, 37 and from Ringwood, was driving a Volkswagen Up BlueMotion, which was involved in a crash with an Audi A3 and an Isuzu Pick-up on the B3081 in Sixpenny Handley on February 1.
She was taken to hospital but died on February 7.
March also had a single fatal crash, which involved a Nissan Micra and a Mercedes on the A354 Weymouth Relief Road. The driver of the Nissan, 54-year-old Billy Denton from Yateley in Hampshire, was pronounced dead at the scene on March 22.
The first national lockdown saw almost a three-month period without a death on Dorset’s roads.
On June 19, police were called to a crash involving a Toyota Yaris and a Mitsubishi pick-up on the A354 at The Beeches near Sixpenny Handley. A female occupant of the Toyota, a woman aged in her 80s, was freed from the vehicle by fire crews but died in hospital.
A further five deaths occurred as a result of crashes in July, with the first on the A352 between Woolbridge roundabout and Wool Railway Station. The incident on July 5 involved a Land Rover Defender towing a caravan, a Hyundai Tucson and a Ford Fiesta. A man aged in his 30s and from London died at the scene.
A 73-year-old female pedestrian died in hospital after a crash with a Honda Jazz in Wharncliffe Road, Highcliffe, on July 10.
Three days later a collision involving a male pedestrian, 78, and a Ford Fiesta occurred in the car park on Marlott Road, Gillingham. The man died in hospital on August 5 as a result of the injuries he sustained.
On July 21, 20-year-old Harry Isaacs died following a single-vehicle collision involving the International Harvester tipper tractor he was driving in Chedington Lane, Mosterton.
Emergency services were called to a crash involving a KTM motorcycle and a Nissan Pathfinder in Wallisdown Road, Bournemouth, on July 30.
The motorcyclist, a man aged in his 20s from Salisbury, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The summer deaths continued with four in August from three incidents.
A local male cyclist, aged in his 70s, was involved in a crash with a Ford Mondeo on Sweet Hill Lane, Portland, on August 4. He sustained serious injuries and died in hospital on August 19.
On August 18, two separate collisions claimed the lives of three people.
At around 4.30pm police were called to a crash between a Peugeot 107 and Ford Ka on the A354 near Thornicombe south of Blandford. The driver of the Peugeot, a woman in her 50s from the Wareham area, died at the scene.
Less than four hours later, a collision took place involving a BMW 114i and a Skoda Fabia on Blandford Road near Kingston Lacy. The BMW driver, a woman aged in her 50s from Warminster, and the Skoda driver, named as 40-year-old Daniel Williams from St Leonards, both died at the scene.
Three deaths took place in September. A 69-year-old female pedestrian died in hospital eight days after a crash with a Vauxhall Insignia in the Asda car park in West Quay Road, Poole, on September 18.
Another pedestrian, on this occasion a man aged in his 70s from Bicester in Oxfordshire, died at the scene of a crash in Victoria Road, Ferndown, on September 22, which involved a Honda Jazz, a Ford Focus and a Citroen C3.
On September 26, an Alfa Romeo Spider collided with the gate at the entrance to Dudsbury Golf Club.
The Ferndown driver, a man aged in his 70s, died in hospital on September 30.
Four deaths occurred across the final three months of the year.
On October 15, an 83-year-old Swanage man, who was at the wheel of a Skoda died after crashing with two parked cars in High Street, Swanage.
Sixteen-year-old Ellis Selby-Richings died in hospital on October 23, four days after a crash on a pit bike on the recreation ground between Poole Rugby Football Club and the Turlin Moor estate.
Pedestrian Sarah Lewis, 62 and from Weymouth, died at the scene of a crash with a lorry in Lynch Lane, Weymouth, on November 16.
The final fatal crash of the year took place on December 8. A pedestrian, who was a local woman aged in her 70s, died in hospital following the incident involving a Ford Fiesta in Quay Road, Christchurch.
Inspector Joe Pardey, of Dorset Police’s traffic unit, said: “Road safety is a force priority and we are committed to doing all we can to ensure all road users in Dorset drive safely and within the law.
“Each fatal road traffic collision leaves a devastating impact on the families involved.
“Our officers will continue to support families through difficult times but, while each collision is subject to a full investigation, the sad fact is that many could be avoided.
“We saw a reduction in the number of serious injury collisions on Dorset roads in 2020.
“However, we are not complacent and are continuing to urge all motorists to drive with patience and respect for other users. Don’t take unnecessary risk or think it will never happen to you – it happens to people in all areas of the community.
“Our Road Policing Team will continue to patrol the county’s roads seven days a week to respond to reports of collisions, take action against those committing offences and keep road users safe.
“We are particularly keen to tackle the five biggest killers on our roads known as the ‘fatal five’.
“These are: drink and drug driving, excessive and inappropriate speed, not wearing a seatbelt, driver distractions such as using a hand-held mobile phone and dangerous/careless driving.
“Our activity is aimed at influencing and improving the behaviour of those using our roads and members of the public can play their part by submitted dashcam footage of any driving offences they witnessed through our Operation Snap initiative at dorset.police.uk/do-it-online/operation-snap-dashcam-footage.
“For further information on the work of our Roads Policing Team visit dorset.police.uk or the No Excuse or Dorset Traffic Police Facebook and Twitter account.”
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