Most dangerous roads in Cornwall revealed including one with the most crashes

For years the notorious Chiverton Roundabout held the unenviable moniker of the worst accident blackspot in Cornwall. With its demise as part of the £330m A30 dualling project between Chivvy and Carland Cross, that title has now sadly passed to another A30 crash hotspot - Plusha near Launceston.

The latest casualty to die following a collision at the junction on the A30 in North Cornwall is Martin John Snowden, a 38-year-old man from Holsworthy who was killed when his Honda Civic was in collision with a Range Rover Evoque last month. An inquest into his death has now been opened.

Mr Snowden's death is the latest to highlight the danger of the area. According to new figures from Cornwall Council compiled by Devon and Cornwall Police covering the last five years - excluding the last few months, there were 509 crashes reported in Cornwall where a personal injury was recorded.

Read next: 4x4 Subaru stuck on Constantine Beach heralds in silly season

Read next: House prices in Cornwall - Cheapest places to buy a house in Cornwall MAPPED

According to the figures, the worst accident blackspot in the county is Plusha on the A30 with 12 personal injuries recorded over that period of time including four serious and eight slight injuries. In second place is the Loggans Moor roundabout in Hayle also with 12 incidents including three serious and nine slight injuries.

Also on the podium of worst accident blackspots is Thorn Cross on the A39 in Bude with 11 incidents including four serious and seven slight injuries.

In fourth position on the list is Calerick Bend in Truro with 10 incidents including two serious and seven slight injuries being reported alongside a fatality. Also in Truro and also on the A39 was Fairmantle Street Roundabout where three serious and seven slight injuries were recorded.

Also of note is the Cubert crossroad along the A3075 Newquay Road where two serious and eight slight injuries were reported.

Want the latest Cornwall breaking news and top stories first? Click here to join CornwallLive on WhatsApp and we'll send breaking news and top stories directly to your phone. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

Altogether 509 crashes were recorded in Cornwall in the last five years. Eight people lost their lives in that time on our roads, 125 people received serious injuries and 376 received slight injuries.

The data also shows that while the work along the A30 has improved its safety record, six accident blackspots were on the A30 totalling 67 injury collisions. However, the most dangerous road in Cornwall is the A38 with 10 accident blackspots (62 injury collisions), followed by the A39 with nine (55 injury collisions) and the A390 with eight blackspots totalling 39 injury crashes. The Newquay Road appears twice on the list with a total of 15 injury collisions.

Cornwall Council said all the sites on the list have had five or more injury accidents in the last five years which is the same basic criteria used by all authorities which are part of the Vision Zero partnership.

A spokesperson for the local authority said: "The sites on the list are ranked first by the total number of personal injury accidents (PIA), then by the number of fatal and serious accidents and finally by how recently the collisions occurred. This is so that sites with more serious and recent incidents appear higher on the list.

"We review the sites on the list annually and work in conjunction with other agencies to determine whether there are any appropriate interventions that would have a beneficial effect.

"Under the Road Traffic Act, every Highway Authority has a duty to identify accident sites and take suitable action, where practicable. Like many other authorities, Cornwall Council identifies and reviews accident cluster sites annually. Action is not appropriate or possible at every location identified on the list, but the list informs a continuing programme of work."

Cornwall Council said that anyone can report their concerns and highway problems via the council’s website at www.cornwall.gov.uk/reportroad or by ringing 0300 1234 222.