THE number of fatalities and serious injuries on the county’s roads has spiked to a 10-year high.

New figures show Surrey as the third worst performing county when it comes to road safety, with 735 people killed or badly hurt in 2014. The tally represents a 23 per cent increase on 2013’s 599 incidents, while in 2005 the figure was 584.

In light of the figures, Surrey County Council have insisted that road safety remains a top priority.

A spokesman said: “The number of deaths and serious injuries in Surrey has dropped in the past year (2015) but we want to keep working to ensure that precious lives are not lost on our roads.

“The safety of our residents and other road users is a top priority for us and any injury or death on our roads is a major concern.”

Leicestershire (28 per cent rise) and Derbyshire (38 per cent) are the only two counties to score more poorly than Surrey in the report.

Surrey Police say there is no underlying cause for the increase in serious incidents, but did say that the county is home to some of the busiest roads in the country, in the M25, M3 and A3.

They also say the rise is in keeping with trends across the UK. That fact was backed up by the Institute of Advanced Motorists, who confirmed that 2014 was ‘not a good year’ for accidents.

Both The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents and the Institution of Advanced Drivers have issued a plea for targeted policing to tackle the problem.

RoSPA Road Safety Manager, Nick Lloyd, said: “As our economy improves, we can expect traffic levels to continue to increase, so we must do everything we can to make sure this does not lead to even higher increases in crashes and casualties.

“The reductions in road death and injury in recent years will not automatically be sustained without continued commitment to safety. We must remain focussed on making our roads safer for everyone, and especially for people travelling on foot and by two wheels.”