Pedestrian road deaths down by 20 per cent in West Midlands
The number of pedestrians killed or seriously hurt in crashes on West Midlands roads has fallen by more than a fifth in the last year, according to new figures.
And police chiefs from the region have said their are aiming to cut casualty rates further with the launch of a new team that is targeting dangerous drivers.
From August 2016 to July (2017) 291 pedestrians were killed or left with life-changing injuries after being hit by vehicles − down from 370 in the previous 12 months.
PC Mark Hodson is one of seven officers working on the force’s new Road Harm Reduction Team.
He said: “We’re focusing our efforts on motorists who pose the greatest threat on our roads… our approach is intelligence and analysis based, targeting risk locations and drivers who pose a threat to vulnerable road users.
“Our aim is to create an environment where offending drivers expect to be caught and dealt with and those who wish to utilise a healthier, sustainable form of transport can do so in confidence that we’re making our roads safer.
“In the coming months, with the clocks going back, we will step up our efforts to protect pedestrians; I’m confident our efforts will result in a continued decline in the number of serious collisions."
The team also runs #OpClosePass which aims to protect cyclists from the danger of motorists who pass too close for comfort − and has also seen a 20 per cent reduction in the number of cyclists killed or seriously hurt in the last year.
PC Hodson added: “All our tactics are designed to provide early intervention and prevention to change driver behaviour before such behaviour manifests itself in a collision.
“Most of the driving population in our region considerate and careful − but the minority who pose a danger must be in no doubt that we will not miss any opportunity to deal with them, whether it be through third party video or our continued proactive operations.
“But we recognise policing alone cannot bring down casualty rates so our new approach involves closer working with the fire service, DVSA and local councils.
"It’s this combination of enforcement, plus education and public engagement, that’s contributing to the drop in serious collisions."
