Over the past year, this county has seen a large number of car accidents take place, many of which were unnecessary, leading to serious casualties.

Figures obtained by Accident Claims Advice found that there have been over 500 road traffic collisions involving cars across Gwent Police’s area of remit in the past year.

Many deaths and serious injuries on the road are preventable tragedies, and yet, on average, five people die every day on the road in the UK, and 80 are seriously injured.

According to provisional data released by the Department for Transport (DfT), the UK experienced a 12% rise in reported road traffic accidents in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.

Fatal accidents saw a 7% increase, while serious injuries climbed by 15%. Factors such as post-pandemic increases in road usage, adverse weather patterns, and distracted driving are cited as primary contributors to this alarming trend.

Road Traffic Accident Manager for JF Law, Tracey Chick, said: “Each road traffic incident represents a moment of distress and potential life-altering consequences for those involved.

“If you have been involved in an accident, your safety should be the immediate priority, before exchanging details with the other involved parties, and reporting the incident to the police if there are injuries or significant damage.”

Over the past year, Gwent Police have logged 571 collisions across their area of remit, providing a breakdown of the locations where the accidents occurred.

The most road traffic collisions occurred in Newport, with 160 accidents, followed by Caerphilly, which saw 154 accidents take place.Several factors contribute to road accidents in the UK, some of which are preventable with more attention to safe driving practices.

One of the major contributing factors to car crashes is speeding, as it is responsible for nearly one-third of all fatal collisions and sees the risk of severe accidents increase dramatically.

Another factor is distracted driving, as the use of mobile phones, even hands-free, significantly distracts drivers and is a growing cause of accidents. Studies suggest that a distracted driver is four times more likely to be involved in an accident.

Accident Claims Advice also obtained figures on casualties resulting from collisions logged by Gwent Police, as well as their severity, over the past year.

In total, there were 12 fatal casualties, 172 serious casualties and 387 slight casualties.