SPEEDING, distractions, not wearing a seatbelt and driving under the influence of drink or drugs.

These are the "Fatal Four" causes of deaths and serious injuries on Hampshire roads which will provide the inspiration for TV's Reverend Richard Coles, who visits Southampton this month to give a keynote speech on the topic.

Figures revealed by Hampshire County Council show that there were nearly 2,500 incidents on county roads in 2016, causing 3,056 casualties, including 641 deaths or serious injuries.

As part of this year's Blue Lamp Trust Annual Conference, Reverend Coles - familiar with listeners of Radio Four's 'Saturday Live' programme and fans of numerous BBC shows, will discuss the topic at the Grand Harbour Hotel, in Southampton, on May 24.

The conference, for invited delegates, will focus on how to tackle the four most common causes of road deaths in the UK.

Reverend Coles will be joined by Hampshire Constabulary's chief constable Olivia Pinkney and the county's fire officer Neil Odin as well as road safety experts.

Hosting the conference is the Blue Lamp Trust, a taxi driver assessor and driver training provider. Based in Hampshire, the Trust has been a leading national provider of training and safety assessments for taxi licence applicants and private hire car drivers since 2011. It also provides driver training to corporate bodies in the county.

The trust works closely with Hampshire Police and personnel of other organisations who have to deal with the aftermath of road traffic incidents.

The Blue Lamp Trust’s general manager, Jim Bettley, said: "This is an important event to highlight the number of avoidable deaths and injuries that happen on our roads every year.

"We are delighted that the Reverend Richard Coles supports us and wants to help us reduce that number by raising awareness about the dangers of the Fatal Four."

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