Re: Fatal Crash, Drayton Road, Sutton Courtenay at the end of July.
Dear Drayton Residents,
At the end of July, an unimaginable scene unfolded on Drayton Road in Sutton Courtenay, one that the residents had feared was sadly inevitable. During the afternoon, a car mounted the verge and collided with a tree, with the passenger losing her life. The Air Ambulance and around 30 fire fighters, paramedics and police attended the scene and did an amazing job. In the days after the crash the police erected a yellow ‘Crash’ sign and flowers were laid at the site. Drivers slowed to a sensible speed to pass as a mark of respect and to take a moment to consider the impact, and strangely the road felt safer than it had done in years. Sadly this reduction in speed only lasted about 4 days and by the weekend traffic was again speeding down Drayton Road.
This was not the first accident of this kind on this stretch of road, but we would like it to be the last, and it is this that has prompted this letter. Since the fatal crash we have not been surprised to learn that about 15% of people speed down the road, with most being local residents (that’s nearly 1 in 5 of you!). Local residents have counted 14 occasions that cars have left the road in recent years on this stretch and have lost count of near misses. The accidents have involved men and women of all ages and vehicles of all sizes. It is not just the ‘young drivers and motorbikes’. It is 40mph for many reasons, including a blind bend on a hill, lots of homes and the exit from the Peep-o-day Lane cycle path. In fact the stretch may even meet the criteria for a 30mph limit. You might be thinking ‘but I know the road… it’s ok to break the speed limit a bit.’ It is not. You don’t know what is just around the corner as you speed towards it… There could very easily be a tractor, a car pulling out of their drive, a fog/ice patch, a horse, a large puddle, a slow moving bicycle or a pedestrian walking on the narrow road. These are all regular occurrences here. There is barely enough room for two large vehicles to pass and there is no pavement.
It is less than a mile between where the crash happened and the middle of Drayton. Slowing down by 10mph would just save you around 18 seconds. That’s all. Is it really worth speeding, especially when keeping to the speed limit could save you a life-time of regret?
If, like us, you have concerns about the safety of this stretch of road, please share these with Sutton Courtenay Parish Council and the Highways team at the County Council
We would like to end this letter by thanking those of you who do drive safely down our road. It honestly makes a huge and very noticeable difference.
With kind regards,
“Name and address supplied but not published by request”