Bid to Cut Accidents in Newcastle
Newcastle City Council and Northumbria Police are working together to try and reduce the number of accidents involving pedestrians in the city centre.
Newcastle City Council and Northumbria Police are working together to try and reduce the number of accidents involving pedestrians in the city centre.
Figures show the biggest cause of accidents was people failing to look properly when crossing the road.
Between 2009-2013 there were 368 pedestrian accidents in the city centre.
One of those died and 61 were seriously injured.
Many of those injured were young people, so now the council and police are targeting young people with the #distracted campaign.
It is thought many get distracted with their phones or by listening to music through headphones.
Councillor Nick Kemp Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods said: “Newcastle is a great city, with a thriving centre that attracts a large number of visitors, and we want everyone to be safe when they’re here.
“However, the rising number of accidents in the city-centre is a real concern to us. We started this campaign with Northumbria Police to highlight how a small change in your behaviour, such as looking before crossing the road, can make a real difference to your safety.
“As well as the campaign, we’re working with a number of partners to make our city-centre safe. We have engaged with the bus operators on safety issues, made engineering changes to junctions and crossings and introduced 20mph limits in key streets.”