ROAD casualties in Rossendale halved over the space of 12 months, with the help of safety drives like the Lancashire Telegraph Wasted Lives campaign.

In 2007-08, the number of people seriously injured in the Rawtenstall, Bacup, Haslingden and Whitworth areas was 37.

But comparing the same nine months from April 2008 to January 2009, the total fell to 20.

The number of collis-ions had also dropped from 29 to 18.

Child casualties in the valley had dropped even more dramatically from year-to-year, according to figures released in Rossendale Council’s draft road safety strategy.

Crashes involving youngsters dropped by 71.4 per cent.

Borough leaders have been asked to reduce the number of serious and fatal crashes by 40 per cent before 2010.

They plan to reinforce the message by running two Wasted Lives programmes, the Lancashire Road Safety Partnership scheme established with the Lancashire Telegraph to reduce the number of young drivers who die on local roads.

The partnership will also be running child seatbelt initiatives and ‘Think Bike’ awareness drives in 2009.

A Rossendale council spokesman said: “Road safety affects everybody who lives, works and visits the borough.”