More road casualties were reported in Devon last year, provisional figures show.

It comes as the AA called on the Government to introduce harsher penalties for not wearing a seat belt or drug-driving.

Provisional figures from the Department for Transport show there were 1,664 casualties on roads in Devon last year – up 7% from 1,558 in 2023.

The casualties last year included 27 fatalities, an increase from 21 deaths in 2023.

Across Great Britain, there were 128,375 casualties on roads in 2024, down 3% from the year before.

Meanwhile, the number of fatalities increased just 1%, with 1,633 reported last year.

AA president Edmund King said: "Every death on our roads is a tragedy, and sadly we are still losing at least four people a day.

"If this level of loss was experienced on any other form of transport, there would be a national inquiry and public outcry.

"Yet, for some reason, we seem to accept this as the risk of moving around our communities. This should not be the case."

Mr King called for the Government's upcoming road safety strategy to include "bold action" such as harsher penalties for not wearing a seatbelt or drug-driving.

He also stressed the need to "safeguard newly qualified drivers" to ensure they feel confident on the road before "exposing them to additional risks" such as carrying passengers of a similar age.

The figures also reveal the highest number of casualties across the Devon and Cornwall police force area was recorded in May (358) last year.

Overall, there were 3,637 casualties across the policing area in 2024.

RAC road safety spokesperson Rod Dennis described the DfT figures as "alarming".

"This data is yet more evidence of the need for a renewed focus on saving lives on the roads, so we look forward to the publication of the Government's road safety strategy," he said

A DfT spokesperson said: "Every death on our roads is a tragedy and the safety of our roads is an absolute priority for this Government.

"We've been clear that more needs to be done in this space, which is why we are committed to delivering a new Road Safety Strategy – the first in over a decade and will set out next steps on this in due course."