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26 Apr 99

ROAD SAFETY SUCCESS IN POOLE

The drive by Poole Council and Dorset Police to combat the road traffic accident toll in the Borough has led to a reduction in casualties in Poole over the last year. This is the first time in 4 years that the figure has been reduced.

The figures for 1998, which have just been released, show a total of 676 recorded casualties in Poole in 1998 compared with 780 in the previous year; a 13% reduction. The number of fatal and serious casualties also fell from 69 to 61 over the same period.

Steve Tite, Borough of Poole's Highways Manager, said: "The figures are encouraging because road safety is a high priority for the Borough. Any reduction in the terrible cost both in personal and financial terms that traffic accidents bring to the local community has to be welcomed."

He added. "As well as the personal tragedy to those involved, according to Government statistics, a fatal accident costs the community nearly £1million pounds and a serious one £120,000, so traffic accidents are a tremendous burden on all our resources".

The Borough of Poole has introduced a number of road safety measures recently which helped contribute to the reduction and has reversed a trend of increasing casualties since 1994. These include improvements to roundabouts on Holes Bay Road and Broadstone Way which are aimed at reducing the speed at which motorists negotiate these roundabouts. Speeding is a major factor in about half of all recorded accidents.

The Borough of Poole, in conjunction with Dorset Police, is aiming to meet the new national casualty reduction target of a one-third decrease by the year 2010. Chief Inspector Steve Mortimore, Head of Dorset Police Traffic Section welcomed the reduction in casualties: "Every single casualty reduced is important as collisions have a devastating effect on people's lives. We are continuing to strengthen our relationship with Poole Council to try to achieve the tough new casualty reduction targets set by Government".

Steve Tite, Highways Manager, tel 01202 262020