Labour blasted the Tories yesterday for scrapping road safety targets after new figures show that the number of people killed on Britain’s roads reached a five-year high last year.

Road traffic crashes accounted for 1,792 deaths in 2016, an increase of 4 per cent from the previous year and the highest since 2011.

Pedestrian deaths saw the largest year-on-year rise at 10 per cent, followed by car occupants (8 per cent).

Shadow secretary of state for transport Andy McDonald said: “Labour made significant progress on road safety, but the Tories scrapped road safety targets and allowed our roads to become more dangerous.

“The underfunding of police forces has meant there are a third fewer dedicated traffic police than a decade ago, making enforcement less effective.”

Labour says it will reintroduce road safety targets and increase police numbers.

Campaigners are calling for the creation of a road accident investigation branch — similar to the teams in the rail, maritime and aviation industries — so lessons can be learned after accidents.