Fatal crash prosecutions down

Prosecution and conviction rates for drivers who cause fatal road crashes have fallen sharply - at the same time as police forces in England and Wales have lost thousands of traffic officers. Figures shared exclusively with 5 live Investigates by the charity RoadPeace reveal a 23 per cent drop in prosecutions in England and Wales in the 5 years to 2015. In the same period the number of convictions has fallen by nearly 30 per cent. The charity blames cuts to the police service with the number of specialist road officers slashed by nearly 40 per cent from 7,100 in 2005 to just 4,350 in 2014.