‘Misleading’ road safety report under fire

The Child Casualties Report ranks Scarborough 31 out of 408 areas across Britain for the number of child casualties on its roads.

Following the report, which was released last year, the Scarborough Council Overview and Scrutiny Committee, demanded officers investigate the troubling findings.

But an appraisal of the figures, due before the committee next week, now claims the report is misleading and inaccurate and is based on errors made regarding people’s postcodes.

The appraisal adds there has been a dramatic reduction in casualties on Scarborough’s roads over the past 10 years.

Road safety campaigners have welcomed the new findings, but with 121 people killed or seriously injured in the district in the past 12 months alone – six of whom were children – say more work still needs to be done.

Coun Brian Simpson, Cabinet member for safer communities, said: “When this report first came out we were very concerned. But the headline figures did give a worse impression of what had actually been found.

“I’m glad there has been an improvement, but when it comes to road safety you can never improve too much.

“There is still a lot of work to be done.”

Meanwhile, police are appealing for witnesses after a hit and run during which a 12-year-old boy was knocked off his bike in an accident with a silver Nissan car.

Police say the driver stopped and checked his vehicle following the crash, which happened on the roundabout at the junction of Front Street and Gale Lane, Acomb, at around 8.20am on March 3, but did not speak to the boy. Nor did he leave his details.

Anyone who may have been a witnesses to the incident is asked to call 0845 60 60 24 7.