Road deaths fall

NUMBERS of motorists killed or seriously injured on Suffolk's roads has fallen by more than a third, new figures have revealed.

But despite the fall, road safety chiefs today vowed to avoid complacency in their bid to make motoring in the county safer.

Figures for the six months between April and September show there were 121 deaths or serious injuries, compared to 191 during the same period in 2006 - a 36.6 per cent drop.

In all, 16 people were killed between April and September, compared to 23 in that period last year.

Suffolk police's chief inspector Martin Barnes-Smith welcomed the figures, published in a police authority report, but promised to continue to push the constabulary's road safety message.

“This year, there has been a substantial decrease in the numbers of those killed or seriously injured in collisions,” he said.

“We are starting to get the message across to the motoring public that they have a responsibility to change their driving behaviour and we are positively dealing with the offences involved.

“But it's important for us to not become complacent and I'm not sitting back thinking we have cracked it.

“We are still driving our message forward as vigorously as ever.”

Operation Davit, a force-wide casualty reduction initiative, is still in place, while speed enforcement campaigns have helped to make Suffolk's roads safer, according to the police authority report, which will be discussed at a meeting on Friday.

Ch Insp Barnes-Smith said the recent launch of the police's annual drug and drink-driving crackdown, which followed The Evening Star's own Name and Shame campaign, had also had a positive effect.

He said: “It's important to remind people not to ruin their Christmas by drinking and driving, but it's still a 365 day a year issue and we will endeavour to maintain the push on this all year round.”

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