THE most dangerous roads in Mid Bedfordshire have been revealed. Under the Freedom of Information Act The Comet asked Bedfordshire Police to provide us with a table of all the roads on which traffic accidents occurred during 2006 in Mid Bedfordshire, and

THE most dangerous roads in Mid Bedfordshire have been revealed.

Under the Freedom of Information Act The Comet asked Bedfordshire Police to provide us with a table of all the roads on which traffic accidents occurred during 2006 in Mid Bedfordshire, and how many accidents took place on each highway.

The longest stretch of road in the region, the A1, came out on top with over 100 reported accidents altogether on the northbound and southbound lanes between the Baldock junction and Sandy.

Just under half of these took place on the stretch of A1 near Biggleswade, 24 on the northbound carriageway and 23 on the southbound.

The nearby London Road in Biggleswade and the section of the A1 near Sandy were joint third in the table with 15 accidents each.

In all there were 1,265 reported traffic accidents throughout Mid Bedfordshire during 2006.

The speed limit on the A1 is due to be reviewed by The Highways Agency under new government guidelines set out to get local authorities to review and implement any changes to speed limits on their A and B roads by 2011.

Also, at the moment there are four roundabouts on the A1 from the Black Cat roundabout just north of Sandy to Biggleswade South roundabout, which create a break in the traffic but are likely to increase the possibility of rear end shunts.

There are measures to slow traffic down though, and these include yellow bar markings on the approach to roundabouts at Biggleswade South and Sandy on the A1 which highlight the need for vehicles to slow down.

Bedfordshire County Council has also submitted plans to replace the Biggleswade South roundabout with a signalised junction to take account of a new housing estate in Biggleswade.

The following safety advice has been offered to drivers by the Bedfordshire and Luton Casualty Reduction Partnership, which aims to reduce the number of road casualties in Bedfordshire:

* Take care of hazard and speed limit signs.

* Allow plenty of time for long journeys and take regular breaks.

* Never use a hand-held mobile phone or similar device

* Respect other road users and only overtake when it is safe to do so.

* Avoid tailgating and drive within the speed limit.