Road accident reduction in Kent has hit target three years ahead of schedule.

KCC's road safety team was tasked with reducing crashes in the county by 40 per cent by 2010.

But in the last year alone the number of people killed or seriously injured has dropped by 417.

The team's efforts have now been recognised in the Prince Michael of Kent International Road Safety Awards.

Activities run by the team include:

• driver education courses such as the Speed Awareness Scheme

• pedestrian training for younger primary school children

• cyclist training for year 6 pupils

young driver education.

KCC worked with its partners including Kent Police, Kent Fire and Rescue and Highways Agency to target three key areas affecting road safety; speed, road user impairment and anti-social values.

Road safety manager Ian Procter said: "Without the valuable support of our partners this excellent result would not have been possible.

"However, we won’t be resting on our laurels. KCC remains committed to reducing the number of people killed or injured on the county’s roads."

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