Plan to stop road deaths and serious injuries in West Yorkshire launched

13th August 2024

A plan to eradicate all road deaths and serious injuries across the region by 2040 has officially launched.

The West Yorkshire Vision Zero Strategy is an innovative development in how road safety will be improved and lives saved.

It will focus on the safe system approach - safe roads, behaviours, speeds, vehicles and an effective post collision response.

Under each of these themes sit objectives for the short and longer term but at the strategy’s heart is the message that everyone has a responsibility to keep people safe on our roads, and we must all work together to create the lasting change needed.

Emergency services, local authorities, National Highways, victim support services and road safety campaigners are all backing the strategy, as are Calderdale couple, Bev and Steve Gough, whose daughter, Naomi, 19, tragically lost her life due to a road traffic collision.

Bev and Steve set up a road safety charity, the Naomi Cheri Gough Foundation, in their daughter's memory. Speaking on what happened to Naomi, they said: "It's been a nightmare since. You live a life sentence and it’s always like the horrors of that night were only yesterday.

“Something that really hurts to this day and always will do, is that we couldn’t have a wedding for her. As a proud father I didn’t have the honour of walking her down the aisle in white. The only way we could do that was in a white coffin and that will never go away.

"Naomi had plans, she wanted to get married and have children. We should have more grandchildren. Our grandchildren, who never met Naomi ask ‘how many cousins should they have?’. We were robbed of our future, we had to start again without Naomi.

"Road safety is one of the most important things that everyone should be taking notice of. We are pleased to be able to support Vision Zero."

The strategy was launched today at a road safety event at Lister Park in Bradford, along with a Vision Zero Pledge, whereby members of the public, and organisations, can sign and make a commitment to keep everyone safe on our roads.

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, 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.”

Alison Lowe OBE, Chair of the West Yorkshire Vision Zero Board and Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, said: “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.”

To find out more about Vision Zero, and sign the pledge, visit www.visionzerowy.co.uk.

Quotes from Vision Zero partners

Chief Inspector James Farrar, head of West Yorkshire Police’s Roads Policing Unit, said: “Serious and fatal road traffic collisions have a devastating effect for all of those involved in them. They can end or significantly change a life in a single moment.

“That’s why West Yorkshire Police is committed to improving the safety of our roads and to reducing the number of people who are killed and seriously injured on them every year.

“We carry out daily enforcement on the road network across West Yorkshire and raise awareness of the risks and dangers posed by getting behind the wheel.

“We won’t tolerate drivers who present a danger to other road users and are committed to working alongside our partners to ensure the West Yorkshire Vision Zero strategy makes our roads safer places for all who travel on them.”

Paul Jeffrey, police lead for the West Yorkshire Safety Camera Partnership said: “Delivering our Vision Zero strategy will save lives.

“Using a combination of visible police patrols and the latest safety camera technology we will focus on known risk factors.

“The police will promote safety through local engagement and the use of education opportunities as an alternative to prosecution. Where appropriate, we also reserve the right to refer more serious or repeat offenders to the criminal courts.

“I welcome the launch of the West Yorkshire Vision Zero strategy which provides a clear framework for effective collaboration across agencies and the communities we serve.”

Andy Shaw, Road Safety Lead for West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “In the fire and rescue service we often see firsthand the devastating effects road incidents can have on individuals, families and communities. But by driving at appropriate speeds, paying attention and complying with road and vehicle safety rules, we can all help to keep everyone safe on our roads.”

Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Regeneration, Planning and Transport said: “Here in Bradford district we have a strong history of partnership working to make our roads safer. Bradford is pleased to adopt the principals for Vision Zero and we will continue to seek out areas of high risk and use all available resources both in the council and our partner agencies to remove death and serious injury on Bradford’s network.”

Calderdale Council’s Deputy Leader, Cllr Scott Patient, said: “We’re so proud to be part of the West Yorkshire Vision Zero Partnership, helping to deliver this incredibly important plan to eradicate all road deaths across the region by 2040.

“We all have a part to play in ensuring our roads are as safe as possible for all users, understanding the devastating consequences of driving recklessly and the lasting impact of serious road casualties.

“Safer roads support safer communities and reducing road danger helps to create places where people feel more able to choose alternative travel modes, whilst promoting active travel ambitions.”

Councillor Munir Ahmed, Cabinet member for Environment and Highways at Kirklees Council said: “We are proud to be part of West Yorkshire Vision Zero and we are fully committed to the partnerships ambition to eliminate all road fatalities and severe injuries by 2040. We are also proud of the important work with our emergency services, charities, local community groups and other West Yorkshire authorities and partners in bringing about these changes that has already begun. The official launch event will excel our ambitions as we collaborate to make the roads in Kirklees and West Yorkshire much safer for all.”

Councillor Jonathan Pryor, Leeds City Council’s Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Economy, Transport and Sustainable Development, said: “Leeds City Council is very proud of its Vision Zero 2040 strategy, which was adopted in September 2022. Since then, Leeds has seen a reduction in people killed and seriously injured in collisions – however, the only acceptable number is zero. We need to build on our initial progress, continue to instil safe driving behaviours and embed the recent highway code changes. We very much support the launch of the West Yorkshire Vision Zero strategy. We all have an important part to play in making Vision Zero happen.”

Councillor Matthew Morley, Cabinet Member for Planning and Highways at Wakefield Council, said: “Any death or serious injury from a road collision has a devastating impact. All of us share a responsibility to reduce the dangers and we’re committed to working together to play our part in Vision Zero.”