Member Article

Road traffic collisions decreasing in Liverpool

People using Liverpool’s roads are less likely to be seriously injured in road traffic collisions according to new data released today.

The number of people killed or serious injured (KSIs) on our roads has decreased by almost 15% over the last six months.

Between January and June 2015, there has been 102 KSIs compared with 119 KSIs in the same period in 2014.

The reduction highlights efforts made by Liverpool City Council to make Liverpool’s streets safer through its principal road safety campaign, the 20 effect. Currently children in Merseyside face the second highest risk of serious injury or death in the UK.

Backed by Merseyside Police, Merseyside Fire & Rescue and Merseytravel, the 20 effect will see 70% of its residential streets reduced to 20mph by the end of the year.

When a child is hit by car travelling at 20mph, they have a 99% chance of survival compared with a 81% survival rate at 35mph.

Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet member for Transport, Cllr Malcolm Kennedy said: “These figures reiterate what the 20 effect programme is trying to accomplish. By lowering the speed limit and educating drivers on the dangers of speeding, we have seen a significant reduction in the number of collisions and deaths on our roads.”

Since its formation in 2012, the 20 effect has worked closely with road safety community groups in Liverpool to spread their message of safer streets.

Liverpool’s 20 effect programme has won recognition from road safety campaigners for its ‘community first’ approach and the subsequent driver education and enforcement activity while other English cities have sought out advice from Liverpool in preparing their own 20mph programmes.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Henry Roberts .