Road death toll 'lowest in years'

The number of people who died on the roads of County Durham and Darlington has fallen to its lowest level in more than 30 years, say police.

In 2008 Durham Constabulary recorded a total of 19 fatal accidents, which resulted in 20 deaths.

The toll is the lowest since the present local government boundaries were created in 1974.

Almost one-third of those killed were in the 16 to 25 age group and about half of all fatalities were at night.

Chief Insp Graham Rankin said: "Sadly there will always be fatalities on the roads simply because of human error.

"Some crashes happen because drivers go too fast, are under the influence of drink or drugs or fail to react as they should to either the road or weather conditions.

"Ultimately, reducing the number of casualties depends on every road user. We should all make sure that we act responsibly."

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