Child road deaths and injuries cut by half

1 September 2007

The number of children killed or seriously injured in crashes on the county’s roads has almost halved in the last ten years, according to a report produced by Derbyshire Road Safety Partnership.

The findings have shown that child deaths and serious injuries fell from 109 in 1997, to 59 in 2006.

The report, which was produced by data analysts from Derbyshire County Council and Derbyshire Constabulary, showed a significant reduction in children killed or injured while cycling and on foot.

It also revealed that the number of adult and child pedestrians killed or seriously injured in collisions had fallen considerably, along with crashes on the motorway and on urban roads.

The report will be used to assist the road safety partnership in its casualty reduction efforts in coming years.

The partnership, which is made up of the police, local authorities and other agencies, uses a combination of enforcement, engineering and education to reduce deaths and injuries on the county’s roads.

Robert Hill, Manager of Derbyshire Road Safety Partnership said: "We are delighted with the results of this casualty report which shows that we are making great progress in the casualty reduction battle. The report’s findings have helped us to set the agenda for our new partnership by identifying priorities and helping us to develop targeted campaigns.

"The partnership has brought key agencies even closer together and we are confident that this will result in even greater reductions in casualties in the future."

The report has confirmed that the partnership is on target to reach many of its own casualty reduction goals, and in turn it is helping the government to meet national targets.