15 people have lost their lives on the roads of South Yorkshire - 11 in Doncaster

Road users need to stop thinking it won’t happen to me, I won’t kill anyone, I won’t get hurt, I won’t get caught.

Fatal and serious road traffic collisions can happen to anyone.

As the police’s fight to get drivers to step up and act responsibly continues, officers are taking part in a national four weeklong campaign to raise awareness of the Fatal 4.

The month-long operation will focus on four leading contributory factors in serious and fatal collisions; speeding, drink and drug driving, using a mobile phone behind the wheel and not wearing a seatbelt, or having a correctly fitted car seat for your child.

During each week, roads policing officers will target a different ‘Fatal Fail’ working alongside partners and community groups.

Roads Policing Inspector Matt Collings explains more: “Putting your mobile phone out of reach, sticking to the speed limit, driving sober and wearing a seatbelt are not massive asks – the law is there to protect you and your loved ones.

“If you fail to follow the law, it’s not just your own life you are putting at risk, it’s other innocent road users whose loved ones are waiting for them to return home safely.

“Enforcing against those posing a risk is daily business for us. We are asking you, the public, to support us in our work to prevent road harm, to help us to influence behaviour and ultimately stop families from going through the pain and devastation caused by road traffic collisions.”

Thirty-five people lost their lives as the result of a collision on South Yorkshire roads in 2022. A further 786 people suffered serious or life-changing injuries.

Provisional figures from the Department for Transport for 2022/23 show that serious and fatal casualties in South Yorkshire are increasing.

As well as the ‘Fatal Four’ contributory factors, ‘failing to look properly’ and ‘careless/reckless driving’ are also leading causes of crashes.

Insp Collings added: “Drivers of all ages and experience levels should take care every time they get behind the wheel, give the road their full attention and remember that the consequences of not doing so, can be serious.

“You could lose your licence, your independence, your car or even your job. But more importantly, you could lose your own life, or the life of a loved one.”

The four weeks of focussed enforcement, including stop sites, targeted mobile speed sites and breath tests, will run from Monday 1 April to Sunday 28 April:

Week 1:Speeding

Week 2:Drink and drug driving

Week 3:Distracted driving

Week 4:Seatbelts / car seats

All of this activity is an extension to the police’s normal daily business to tackle dangerous and careless behaviour, change the attitudes of road users and ultimately make the county’s travel network safer for everyone.

You can follow everything that happens with the campaign#fatalfails on SYP Operational Support Unit’s social media @SYPOperations and South Yorkshire Safer Roads @SYSaferRoads social throughout April.