Campaign launched to eradicate West Yorkshire road deaths by 2040
Report by Katie Oscroft.
The woman responsible for overseeing policing in West Yorkshire is campaigning to stop people dying on the roads in memory of the sister she lost in an accident almost 60 years ago
Alison Lowe, deputy mayor for West Yorkshire, was a baby when her three-year-old sister, Debbie, was knocked down and killed on Roundhay Road in Leeds in 1965.
She said Debbie's death permanently affected her family.
"I never got to grow up with my sister and my mum and dad never recovered," she said.
"My dad couldn't identify my sister's body because she was so badly injured. He left the back door open for three months after she died because he couldn't accept she was gone, he thought she would one day walk back through the door.
“I am committed to ensuring we end the scourge of road death for all our communities across West Yorkshire.”
Ms Lowe was speaking at the launch of Vision Zero, a campaign by organisations including the police and fire service and road safety charities to end all road deaths by the year 2040.
Last year there were 1,450 casualties and 50 fatalities in West Yorkshire.
"It is an ambitious plan but if we don't have that ambition things will never change," Ms Lowe said.
"I want all our communities to take responsibility for creating a safe system on our roads, they need to hold their families accountable for driving with drink or drugs, using mobile phones, careless driving.
"We need to work towards making cars and roads safer."
Her words were echoed by the parents of Naomi Gough, who died in a crash in Halifax in 2007 shortly after her 19th birthday.
Bev and Steve Gough have set up a charity called Naomi Cheri Gough Foundation which promotes road safety and provides support for bereaved parents.
"This campaign is what we have wanted all along. You die when your child dies and your life is absolutely obliterated, and we want to stop this happening to other families," Mrs Gough said.
Mr Gough takes their safety message into schools and said he believed educating younger people was saving lives.
"Naomi's death changed everyone's life in our family, it was just horrendous. When I go into schools and talk about this a lot of the teachers say they will change the way they drive, so it's not just aimed at young people." he said.
Ch Insp James Farrar, of West Yorkshire Police, was at the launch of Vision Zero in Bradford.
He said the focus was not just on punishing careless drivers.
It will aim to encourage people to people to drive more safely and cut their speed as well as improving the police response to crashes.
"Enforcement has a part to play where people are not listening and not respecting other road users, but we would rather engage with communities and road users and look to educate wherever possible," he said.
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