Roundabouts, town centres and main routes into and out of towns were the most common places for road traffic collisions in East Devon last year.

Department for Transport data, which was released last week, reveals the details of crashes reported to police during 2018.

The A30 near Daisymount roundabout was one of the biggest accident black spots last year. There were two fatal accidents near the junction and five slight crashes. The peak times for accidents in the morning around 7am, lunchtime around 1pm and in evening rush hour at around 7pm.

One of the most common places for crashes in Exmouth was Pound Lane - known for being a rat-run for motorists. There were six collisions on the 30mph road, five of which were slight and one that was serious.

The main A30 junction at Honiton, along with the main road through the town - Exeter Road and High Street was the was another hotspot for crashes, as was the A30 near its junction with the A303 where there two fatal crashes last year.

The number of accidents on the A3952 from Clyst St Mary, through Newton Poppleford, to the junction near Salcombe Regis makes the road one of the most likely places to have a crash in East Devon - on that stretch alone were 12 serious crashes and 17 slight accidents last year.

The A35 approaching Axminster, through Kilmington also saw a number of accidents last year, including three serious crashes and seven slight.

The data showed that one of the most common places for accidents were 30mph roads in and around town centres - including in Exmouth, Ottery, Honiton, Sidford, Sidmouth and Axminster.

According to the statistics, the number of incidents rose very slightly from 271 in 2017 to 284 in 2018. However since 2014 the number of collisions has fallen from 307.

Of the 284 crashes last year, seven were fatal, 66 serious and 211 slight.

The data revealed that 2018 also saw the highest number of fatal crashes compared to four years prior. Of the seven fatal crashes, four were on the A30 - two near West Hill and two near Upottery, two were on the A35 between Honiton and Wilmington and one was on Wolverstone Hill, near Wolverstone.

Data also showed that Devon, Cornwall and Somerset were the worst counties for traffic incidents in the South West, with 5,199 casualties and 80 fatalities reported between them over the past year.

Devon reported the highest number of fatalities with 33.

Despite this, the South West was one of the safest regions for drivers overall last year, having reported more than half the casualties than London (30,617) with 13,061 in 2018.

Car casualties in the region are predicted to fall in 2020 by 7.54 per cent, dropping from 13,061 in 2018 to 12,075 in 2020. Fatalities are expected to drop from 183 to 174 incidents by 2020.

The analysis reveals that, despite car occupants accounting for the most road deaths (44 per cent) in 2018, motorbikes remain the riskiest transport, with 16,818 casualties and 354 fatalities reported - a slight increase from 349 last year

Meanwhile, 777 car occupants and 456 pedestrians were killed in 2018. Cyclist deaths saw a slight decrease compared to 2017 with 99 fatalities. Rural roads are the deadliest in England, having accounted for 58 per cent of all fatalities in 2018.

Child pedestrians aged 15 and below are the most vulnerable in traffic collisions, with the number of fatalities reported over the last year showing a 27 per cent increase compared to 2017. There were 1,276 serious injuries caused to child pedestrians reported in 2018 - equating to more than three per day.

Despite road traffic forecasts predicting an increase of between 11 per cent and 43 per cent in traffic in all areas across the county before 2050, overall police attendance to road accidents has seen a steady decline of eight per cent over the past five years.