ROAD traffic accidents account for more than half of all missions according to the first summary of the air ambulances.
In the north west, they accounted for 63 per cent of all air ambulance call-outs in the six-month period since March, according to the survey published by the National Association of Air Ambulance Services (NAAAS).
Between March and August 2001, the network responded to 6,774 call-outs nationally, of which 3,201 concerned road traffic accidents.
John Dawson, NAAAS trustee and spokesperson, said: "Air ambulances are, increasingly, the first emergency service to arrive at the scene of some of the country's most serious accidents."
Air ambulances respond to one in five of all serious road traffic accidents in the country. Mr Dawson said: "The report gives us no reason to be complacent and we shall continue to monitor and review our service to ensure we are available to every person who needs us."
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