Young Driver
Safer roads called for in Cumbria
Wed, 30 Nov 2005
A Safer Roads for Cumbria partnership has been working to cut the number of deaths reported on the region's roads.
A total of 41 people were killed in the area this year, the News & Star reported, which amounts to almost one death a week.
The A6 alone, which links Penrith and Carlisle, has claimed the lives of seven people this year, five of them young drivers.
County councillor, Geoff Hodgson, said that he believed the problem lay in the increase in the number of cars on the area's roads.
"I think the problem we've got is old roads and modern drivers," he said, highlighting the necessity for fully comprehensive young driver car insurance.
"People speed because they want to get from A to B quickly. It's a sign of the times."
Mr Hodgson added that the Safer Roads for Cumbria campaign had been working to tackle the problem through increased driver education, though young drivers remained the principal worry.
"Young drivers are still a major problem in Cumbria and remain our prime concern. There have been some terrible accidents this year involving young people in Cumbria," said Kevin Tea, communications manager for Cumbria Safety Cameras.
"Research carried out shows that young people are aware of the dangers of the road but we have yet to see that being put into practice."
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