West Yorkshire Combined Authority has confirmed that it has officially launched a plan to end all road deaths and serious injuries in the region by 2040.
Thanks to the West Yorkshire Vision Zero Strategy, a new focus will be put on a safe system approach, which will bring safer roads, behaviours, and speeds, as well as a more effective post collision response. Each of the main themes will come with a short and long-term goal, however the strategy does have an underlying message that everybody is responsible for making roads safer.
West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin said:
“A devastating 1,450 people were killed or seriously injured on West Yorkshire roads in 2023.
“Behind that statistic are real people with families and friends who cared about them and will have been deeply affected.
“The only acceptable number of road casualties is zero. We will do everything in our power to create a society where everyone in West Yorkshire is safe and feels safe on our roads.”
To drive home the message of accountability and responsibility, the Vision Zero Strategy brings together a number of partners, including emergency services, local authorities, National Highways, victim support services, and safety campaigners.
Alongside the goal of eradicating road deaths and serious injuries, the launch of the strategy has also brought a commitment to a 50% reduction of those numbers by 50% by the end of this decade.
Deputy Mayor Alison Lowe, who is also the Chair of the West Yorkshire Vision Zero Board, added:
“My sister Debbie would have been 63 this year, had she not been killed by a speeding driver when she was just 3 years old.
“The impact of death or serious injury is immediate, but the pain and devastation for families and the wider community can last for decades.
“I am committed to ensuring we end the scourge of road death for all our communities across West Yorkshire.”
A vision zero approach to road safety has also been endorsed in Greater Manchester by Mayor Andy Burnham, with this following the same plan.
Image credit: iStock
Video credit: West Yorkshire Combined Authority
