Seat belt campaign helps lessen car injuries

The total number of road casualties for 2009 was 3,057 – 597 or 16 per cent fewer than the average for the last five years.

Of those, 321 were either killed or seriously injured. In total 22 people were killed, a decrease on 2008, when 27 died and on 2007 when 34 were killed.

But 2009 was a bad year for deaths of under-16s – three died. The previous year saw two child deaths after a year when none had been killed.

A Leeds Council spokesman said: "The 2009 casualty total is the lowest so far recorded since the district was formed in 1974 and the downward casualty trend is continuing.

"Leeds has achieved the government's target of a 50 per cent reduction in the number of children killed or seriously injured by 2010 in four of the last five years.

Councillor Stuart Andrew, deputy executive member for transport, said: "It is heartening to see these significant reductions to road casualties in Leeds.

"Road users are increasingly becoming aware of taking responsibility for their safety and the safety of others on the roads, and the road safety promotion unit will continue to work with the accident studies team and traffic engineering team to develop strategies and measures to make road users aware of road dangers and further reduce death and injury on the roads in Leeds."

The road safety unit for Leeds has continued to provide education and training throughout the city, with campaigns such as "Seat Belt on" in 2008/09, to try to increase seat belt use and "reduce vehicle occupancy injury and death by raising awareness of the importance of seatbelt use," the Council said.

Surveys conducted around the city had shown that 25 per cent of adults and 35 per cent of children were travelling without seat belts.

The Council's road safety unit flooded the city with messages reminding car drivers and passengers of the importance of putting their seatbelts on.