The 1998 Crime and Disorder Act requires each local authority and police service to report the main problems in their area and proposals to deal with them.

I believe that speeding, drunk and careless driving are problems in York.

For instance, monitoring of Tadcaster Road found that 96 per cent of motorists exceeded the 30mph urban limit.

This matters because only 55 per cent of pedestrians or cyclists survive an impact with a car travelling at 30mph. York's reported road casualties were reduced by 43 per cent between 1981 and 1992.

But, 1,100 people still go to York District Hospital each year because of crashes.

Careless drivers are the biggest killers around yet, the average penalty for an offender causing death or injury is just £150 and six points!

Slower speeds are an effective focus. Each one mph reduction brings five per cent fewer injuries. Yet, in cities trip times are unchanged due to short distances and stop/go driving.

Only a 20 second difference was found by the Road Safety Officer between 25mph and 30mph limits.

If danger to life and limb from traffic is included in the Crime and Disorder report, it will become one of the police's performance objectives. That should improve the situation! Please write to Rod Hills, Leader of City of York Council, Guildhall, York, in January to ask that slower speeds be prioritised.

Victims can contact RoadPeace's helpline on 0181 964 1021.

Anna Semlyen,

RoadPeace Member,

Grange Street,

York.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.