NEW road accident figures will make Swindon drivers think twice before stepping on the accelerator.

According to the Department for Transport statistics, Wiltshire's roads claim one life every week.

The figure is drawn from a report which shows that over the last six years, 250 people died on the county's roads.

The news comes in the wake of two fatal road accidents in the Swindon area.

On Wednesday, a man died at the scene of a horrific smash near Brinkworth.

Emergency crews fought desperately to release the victim from the wreckage of his VW Golf. But the man, who has not yet been identified, died at the scene.

The driver of the other vehicle involved, a Nissan Primera, was later arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. He received arm and leg injuries in the accident.

And two weeks ago, 10-year-old Park South boy Mitchell McCarthy died when his cycle was hit by a car on Queen's Drive.

Swindon police expressed concern at the figures. Sergeant Bill Giles, of Swindon traffic police, said: "We have had a spate of serious and fatal accidents recently. We see them at first hand, and see the effect a fatal accident has on friends and relatives of the victims."

He said excess speed and tiredness were factors in most accidents.

"Accidents on the motorway are often a combination of speed and driver fatigue," he said. "It takes longer for people to react when they are tired.

"And a slight error which wouldn't be dangerous at slow speeds can have fatal consequences at higher speeds."

South Swindon's Labour MP Julia Drown was also shocked at the figures.

She called for tighter controls to cut road deaths.

"Having spoken to some of the people who have lost loved ones in road traffic accidents, I know that more can be done to prevent this sheer misery."

She said more speed cameras are needed. "Cameras are already contributing to a reduction in accidents."

Four years ago, the Government announced a new road safety strategy.

The aim is to cut the number of people killed or seriously injured in road accidents by 40 per cent when compared with the figures for 1994 to 1998.

Tamash Lal