New road safety initiative welcomed in Lochaber

Police in Lochaber and across the rest of the Highlands and Islands are to adopt a new initiative aimed at improving road safety in the region.

Operation CEDAR (Challenge, Educate, Detect and Reduce) will build on established practices and will focus on various agencies working in partnership to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured in the area.

A total of 17 people were killed on the roads in the Highlands and 74 seriously injured in 2017 alone.

In 2018 to date, 18 people have died in road traffic collisions in the Highlands.

Although a new initiative in the Highlands and Islands, CEDAR has been used for the past three years in the north east of Scotland.

Partner agencies involved include local councils, BEAR Scotland, the North Safety Camera Partnership, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and the Scottish Ambulance Service.

Chief Inspector Iain MacLelland has led the development of Operation CEDAR for Police Scotland Highlands and Islands Division.

He said: ‘We all have a part to play in keeping our roads safe and we believe Operation CEDAR as a collaborative approach between agencies and the public can contribute to preventing and reducing serious incidents.’

Caol and Mallaig councillor Allan Henderson, chairman of the Highland Road Safety Group, said Highland Council was pleased to be a partner in this initiative.

‘Partnership working is the key to achieving our vision of zero road deaths on Highland roads,’ he said.

‘Highland Council will support partners in any way we can to ensure the strategic approach of the principles of road safety, namely, education, engineering, enforcement and encouragement are used to achieve a long term reduction in road casualties in our area.’