Cumbria has come in under the Government's 2010 Killed and Serious Injury target in 2007 - three years ahead of schedule.   Figures, which have yet to be audited by the Department for Transport, show that last year there were 318 killed and serious injury (KSI) casualties against a 2007 target of 377 and a Government target for 2010 of 333 KSI casualties.

County Councillor Ian Stewart, Cabinet Member with responsibility for road safety, commented:" Last April brought a warm, early spring and one of the worst KSI totals for a single month for many years. However, continued effort from the Safer Roads for Cumbria partners and a change in working patterns by the safety camera team has turned this around, no mean feat when you consider the uphill struggle we faced not to exceed the 2010 target of 333 KSIs but to reach the figure of 377 set for 2007.

"More important than the work put in by road safety professionals is the fact that the general public is seemingly taking on board key messages about safer driving and putting them into practice.  

"Although we have one of the lowest fatality totals for years we cannot be complacent;   44 dead on our roads is totally unacceptable and, in the majority of cases, totally preventable. As in previous years the majority of deaths on the roads involve local people who are dying on roads they know - or think they know, "Coun. Stewart added.

In 2007 33 fatalities were Cumbrian   residents against 11 deaths from visiting motorists. IN 2006 47 locals died compared to 12 from outside the county.

One of the key areas of success was the reduction in the number of young drivers and passengers killed in 2007.   In 2006 there were 15 fatalities in the 16-20 year old age group; in 2007 there were five.   In the 16-25 year old age group there was a 42 per cent reduction in KSIs compared to 2006 (11 against 19)

One area of no improvement over the last two years has been those fatal casualties resulting from collisions involving motorcyclists. During 2006 there were 13 (22% of all 2006 fatal casualties) and in 2007 there were 11 such casualties ( 25% of all 2007 fatal casualties. In 2005 there was just one motorcycle fatality.

However, the trend with motorcycle KSIs has veered away from the majority being from outside of Cumbria to a rise in "home grown" casualties seemingly involving the use of 500cc plus vehicles being used for commuting.  

Safer Roads for Cumbria   and Dumfries and Galloway Safety Camera Partnership have teamed up to launch a joint initiative to target young drivers in the area.

The new campaign uses Border Television and new media such as multi-media messaging and internet sites such as YouTube to get the message across to this difficult target group. In the last three years 44 young people aged between 16 and 25 have died on the roads in Cumbria and Dumfries and Galloway and this campaign specifically targets this group.

The three, twenty second advertisements will run until Christmas and they will also feature on the new ITV Local digital service.

Kevin Tea, communications manager for Safer Roads For Cumbria , commented:" Dumfries and Galloway and Cumbria not only share a universal problem with young drivers but we share a common TV station so it made sense to get our heads together and combine resources to tackle the issues together.

"Because young drivers are notoriously difficult to approach using the traditional media channels of radio, TV and newspapers it was decided to add an extra dimension and utilise new technologies," Tea added. 

"So while we hit parents and extended family members through the TV advertisements, smaller versions can be downloaded from the Safer Roads For Cumbria and D&G SCP web sites onto mobile phones and sent as MMS messages to sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, nephews and nieces, etc." 

Videos of the advertisements and downloadable mobile phone versions can be seen in the eLibrary by clicking the URL below:

http://www.saferroads4cumbria.org.uk/elibrary/doc_library.asp

Alternatively, you can see the advertisements as well as other Safer Roads for Cumbria on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/SaferRoadsCumbria 

The Local Institute of Advanced Motorists is launching a new push to get people to become advanced drivers and improve safety on Cumbria's roads.

For full information click the link below.

http://cumbria.gov.uk/eLibrary/Content/Internet/544/3686/3949812414.pdf