Motorists should undergo regular lessons after passing test, say Shropshire safety group

The number of people killed on Britain's roads increased by three per cent last year, with the lost of 1,780 lives.

And road safety organisation the TTC Group said the figures showed the need for better training of motorists once they have passed their tests.

In the West Mercia force area, the number of deaths on the roads actually fell, from 43 to 40.

However, when those seriously injured are taken into account, the number of casualties increased by more than 10 per cent, from 428 during 2014 to 472 for the year up to September 2015.

Jenny Wynn, chairman of Telford-based TTC, said: "There are still too many people dying and being seriously injured every day on our roads,

She urged drivers to consider taking a refresher driving course to check their road skills and for employers to manage the risk their employees face on the road.

"For many years people have been telling us how much safer they feel on the road after attending a course. They refresh some forgotten skills or learn new ones and are safer as a result," Mrs Wynn added.

"Businesses can also take professional steps to manage the risk their employees face on the road."

One in three road crashes involving people driving while on business.

The figures also revealed that a total of 8,220 people were killed or injured in drink-drive collisions with about 240 killed where drivers were over the drink-drive limit. The total number of drink-drive collisions fell by one per cent to 5,620.

Nationally, the total number of road casualties, including those with minor injuries fell by three per cent to 188,830.

The number of cyclists killed or injured on Britain's roads fell by five per cent to 3,340, while 5,300 pedestrians were killed or injured in the 12 months to September last year, a fall of four per cent.