There has been an encouraging fall in the number of people injured on roads in Leeds, taking it to the lowest level in over 40 years.
There were 2,686 casualties in 2011, a fall of 78 on the 2010 figure and those killed or seriously injured also fell, by 14% on the 2006-2010 five-year average. Leeds City Council believes the downward trend is due in part to its influencing travel behaviour team, who have run road safety education programmes in which almost 50,000 have now taken part and which use drama, music and demonstrations by the fire service to get their message across.
The council also says that it is committed to road improvements throughout the city. Councillor Richard Lewis, the council’s executive member for development, said that the council was educating people about using the roads safely and the work done in conjunction with the fire service and the police was important in changing attitudes. He added: “If we can positively influence young people’s attitudes now, then we stand a chance of ensuring that they become safe and sustainable road users for life.”