New initiative to cut county's road carnage

The South Yorkshire Safer Roads Partnership wants to reduce the number of road traffic collisions and make the roads safer through Operation Illuminate.

Despite a drop in the total overall number of people killed or seriously injured in 2015, there were nearly twice as many victims of fatal road traffic collisions in South Yorkshire last year than in 2014.

A total of 48 people died following collisions on South Yorkshire’s roads in 2015 – a marked increase from the previous years, when 32 people lost their lives in 2013 and 26 in 2014.

Operation Illuminate aims to reduce road casualties through education and partnership intervention work, as well as through police enforcement and targeting specific roads across the county.

Research suggests that the main contributory factors to fatal road accidents are speed, driver behaviour, not driving to the road conditions and driving whilst being over the prescribed limit.

Ch Insp Glen Suttenwood, head of roads policing for South Yorkshire and Humberside, said: “Forty eight people died in fatal collisions on South Yorkshire’s roads last year – nearly double that of the previous year – resulting in a huge amount of pain and heartache for so many people.

“Not only will we target specific roads that have a fatal collision history but through partnership working we will also target specific groups through education and training.

“We need to ensure both the road safety and enforcement messages are delivered to those road users who, as a result of their actions, may endanger themselves and others.

“Officers will undergo additional training to further enhance their understanding of casualty reduction principles. They will also target the core offences being committed on the roads so they can direct their activity to where it can have the greatest effect on reducing the casualty rates.

“The focus of Operation Illuminate will be to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads and to prevent the devastating impact that the loss of a loved one has on individuals and families.”

Operation Illuminate complements the five year roads policing strategy of the National Police Chiefs’ Council and will work to the National Roads Policing Calendar.

The calendar features a variety of campaigns and local initiatives that will reflect the problems on the county’s roads. They will result in campaigns that target key groups, such as young drivers and drug driving.

Key ‘at risk’ routes and locations across the county will also be identified and targeted by police officers using specialist equipment and enforcement.

Joanne Wehrle, safer roads education manager for the South Yorkshire Safer Roads Partnership, said the Partnership would continue with its efforts to educate, inform and train target groups, such as young drivers and motorcyclists.

She said: “The Partnership’s aim is to reduce the number of people injured in road traffic collisions and make South Yorkshire roads safer through education and training.

“Although the overall numbers of people getting killed or seriously injured has dropped, the figures and the increase in fatalities show that we can never be complacent and we and our partners must do everything we can to continue and extend our road safety messages.

“The Safer Roads Partnership offers a vast range of safety courses for all ages and all road users. Whether you are a pedestrian, a cyclist, a motorcyclist or a driver the Partnership can provide advice, training, support and information on a variety of topics. Many courses are geared to particular age groups, such as Drive for Life for the 17 to 24 year age group, who are just about to start driving.

“However, road users, particularly car drivers and passengers, can do a lot to help and protect themselves by abiding by some key rules: drive to the conditions of the road and don’t speed, never use a mobile phone while at the wheel, don’t drive when under the influence of drink or drugs and always ensure that you and your passengers wear a seatbelt.”