More people are killed on Northamptonshire’s roads than on its streets, police have warned as road safety is made a key force priority for the first time.

A total of 26 people lost their lives in collisions on the county’s roads last year, while another 331 suffered serious or life-changing injuries.

Northamptonshire Police has now included road safety in its Force Control Strategy for the first time, placing it among the force’s key operational policing priorities until 2028.

Officers will focus on four areas considered major contributors to serious and fatal collisions: young drivers, speed and distraction, powered two-wheel road users, and drink and drug driving.

Superintendent Kelly Glister, head of the force’s tactical operations team, said: “Sadly, more people are killed on our roads than on our streets, which is why it is crucial that road safety has been included within the Force Control Strategy.

“Every person who dies on our roads is one too many, and we must not forget that behind each statistic there is a grieving family or someone who is coming to terms with a life-changing injury.”

Over the next 12 months, each of the four areas will have its own policing operation, beginning with young drivers.

From September 14, Northamptonshire Police is taking part in the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s three-week Operation Spotlight campaign, which runs until October 4.

The campaign focuses on five major contributory factors in collisions – drink or drug driving, mobile phone use, speeding, not wearing a seatbelt and careless driving – with particular emphasis this time on younger motorists.

Department for Transport data provided by police shows that 17 per cent of all fatal and serious injury collisions on Northamptonshire’s roads between 2021 and 2025 involved at least one driver aged between 17 and 24.

Supt Glister said education would be an important part of the campaign alongside enforcement.

She added: “One of the best ways to make our roads safer is to help young drivers build safe habits from the start and develop the skills and confidence they need to help them make good choices on the road.”

Police said work to tackle dangerous behaviour would continue throughout the year.