West Yorkshire Police and West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) have joined forces to support the ‘European Day Without A Road Death’ campaign tomorrow, September 21.
Whilst the emergency services want every day to be without a road related fatality, the first ever ‘Project Edward’ initiative provides an opportunity for road safety partners across Europe to join in promoting safe and responsible driving.
The initiative belongs to TISPOL who are the European Traffic Police Network.
At a local level Police and the Fire Service are hosting a string of events in West Yorkshire to deliver hard-hitting awareness messages to the public.
West Yorkshire Police Assistant Chief Constable Mark Milsom said;
"There were 48 road users fatally injured on West Yorkshire's roads in 2015, which is a reduction in the county from the previous two years however it is still nearly one per week and a figure we are keen to try and reduce further.”
"Any police officer will agree it is the hardest part of the job when having to make that knock on the door and devastate a family by telling them their loved one has died and in many cases, often these tragic circumstances could have been prevented.”
"We all want everyone to drive safely and to consider the consequences of their actions when using the roads.”
"Project Edward aims to get all road users to 'take the pledge' to change their driving, improving the safety of roads for everyone who uses them, whether that be motorists, cyclists, pedestrians and other road users. In making subtle changes we can continue to reduce the number of deaths on the roads of West Yorkshire."
WYFRS have also released a collection of striking posters highlighting the dangers of the fatal four – drink or drug driving, distractions while driving, speeding and not wearing a seatbelt.
WYFRS Area Manager for Fire Safety Ian Bitcon said: "This is an excellent project and we hope that we achieve a day without a road death in Europe.”
"Firefighters attend a significant number of fatal road traffic collisions each year and these are traumatic for staff but also have a devastating effect on the friends and family of the victims.”
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