Every day four West police vehicles are involved in crashes on our roads
A freedom of information request found thousands of police cars, vans and motorbikes have been in collisions since 2005 – with some proving fatal.
The total number of crashes involving officers in Avon and Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Gwent and West Mercia police forces was 4,241 for 2005-7, but there are fears the true figure could be even higher because figures provided by Wiltshire police only record collisions where people were hurt.
Covering the largest population and some of the busiest roads in the region, Avon and Somerset police drivers were unsurprisingly involved in the most prangs, a total of 1,380.
Since 2003, West crashes have killed four people, none of them police officers, and injured more than 260, the majority of them being other road users or members of the public.
But over the past three years, only 14 accidents have been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) and no officer has been disciplined or prosecuted for any crash-related offence.
In June, a 77-year-old man from Stockport died and his wife was seriously injured when their Nissan Primera collided with an Avon and Somerset police car near Catcott on the A39 near Bridgwater, Somerset.
Officers were on their way to Langport following reports of an armed man when the fatal crash involving Christopher and Laurel Mollan, aged 77 and 73, happened. An inquest is expected to be held later in the year.
The record of Avon and Somerset police drivers shows improvement over recent years, falling from well above 500 accidents to 384 last year.
Under half involved police engaged in emergency responses or pursuit, in which they would be likely to be using their "blues and twos" or flashing lights and sirens.
Emergency response and pursuit is a small part of police vehicle use, but usually involves greater risks.
A statement from Avon and Somerset Constabulary said: "The IPCC has made observations in a number of cases about lessons that could be learnt, but in none of the cases have they found wrong-doing in the cause of the accident."
In a study by the IPCC called Police Road Traffic Incidents: A Study of Cases Involving Serious and Fatal Injuries, the main circumstances of crashes were analysed. The report said: "Undertaking emergency response journeys through areas such as town centres pose obvious risks, especially on evenings when there could be intoxicated people with impaired coordination and judgment.
"It is also important for officers to be aware that there may be road users who are unable to hear sirens or see the lights clearly, or may be slower to respond, such as elderly people.
"The risks taken by an officer need to be proportionate to the incident to which they are responding."
Last year, pensioner Clive Goodwin was awarded £685,000 following a protracted damages claim against Dorset police.
He nearly died in 2003 when he was involved in a head-on crash with a police car driving on the wrong side of a narrow winding road in Cranbourne Chase.
The officer was convicted of driving without due care and attention at a trial and banned for six months.
Three collisions involving Dorset police have been fatal since 2005, but a spokeswoman said: "In one of these collisions, the police car was unattended at the time of the collision and was hit by another vehicle which also hit a pedestrian."
Royal Society for The Prevention of Accidents spokesman Roger Vincent said: "Obviously police forces will be working to have as few accidents as possible involving their vehicles. Their drivers are occupational drivers but obviously police at times have different duties to perform, including emergencies etc.
"Any organisation should have a clear policy in place to manage the risks faced by its employees on the roads, and any risks its employees pose to other road users."
Although the figures obtained by the Daily Press make for surprising reading, they do include minor collisions and members of the public crashing into police vehicles, whether moving or stationary.
Qualifying West Mercia constabulary's 844 accidents from 2005 to 2007, which include those in Herefordshire, data protection and freedom of information officer Chris Harwood said: "This report shows the number of collisions where a police vehicle was involved, it does not mean that the police vehicle actually collided with anything nor does it mean that the police vehicle was at fault.
It is mandatory to refer cases to the IPCC when there has been a fatal or serious accident and the officer was at fault. Of the seven cases referred, no appeals were made or received."
The breakdown of the figures is as follows.
Avon and Somerset police were involved in 491 accidents between April 2005 and March, 2006. There were three serious injuries and no fatalities.
Between April 2006 and March 2007, there were 505 accidents resulting in nine serious injuries and no fatalities.
And between April 2007 and March this year, there were 384 accidents with six serious injuries and one fatality.
West Mercia police saw 261 collisions in 2005-06, 303 the following year, and 280 between 2007 and now. Seven collisions were referred to the IPCC, two are still under investigation.
Wiltshire police said that between May 2005 and April 2008, 64 accidents occurred, causing nine serious injuries and 81 slight injuries. There were no fatalities.
Dorset police said 231 accidents happened in 2005, followed by 206 in 2006 and 227 in 2007. Nine involving police vehicles were considered "serious" with three fatalities. In one, the police car was unattended and hit by a vehicle which also hit a pedestrian.
Gloucestershire police said there were 212 collisions in 2005, 196 in 2006, 186 in 2007 and 98 between January and June 2008. No one died and no cases were reported to the IPCC.
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