Crimewatch presenter praises Haringey road safety work
Monday 18 August 2008
Crimewatch presenter Nick Ross has praised efforts by a Haringey Council Road Safety Officer to cut accidents among ethnic minorities in the borough.
Halema Uddin was one of just three council officers in the capital to be presented with an “injury inequality” award by the broadcaster, who is President of the London Accident Prevention Council.
The accolade came in recognition of Halema’s work to address the disproportionate amount of road deaths among some sections of the Haringey community.
She has overseen a recently completed project at the London Islamic Cultural Society Mosque in Wightman Road, N8, and is helping to run another two-year scheme at the Edmonton Islamic Centre in partnership with Enfield Council.
Both projects are aimed at raising road safety awareness among the Muslim community through workshops, leaflets and advice.
Research by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine has shown that people living in areas of high deprivation are at least twice as likely to be killed or seriously injured in road accidents as those living in more affluent areas.
It also indicates that children from black African communities are currently over-represented in accident statistics.
Large numbers of attendees at both the London Islamic Cultural Society Mosque and the Edmonton Islamic Centre live in more deprived wards in Haringey, and they represent a wide range of ethnic groups.
Cabinet Member for Environment and Conservation, Cllr Brian Haley, said:
“This is well deserved recognition for Halema’s efforts in helping residents to keep safe on the roads.
“We’re working very hard in Haringey to reduce accidents, not only through a wide range of traffic calming and road safety schemes, but also by continuing to raise awareness of road safety issues among our diverse communities.
“The latest figures show this has helped deaths and serious injuries on Haringey’s roads fall to a record low.
“I’d like to extend my congratulations to Halema for achieving this award. I hope her hard work and that of all her road safety colleagues will help us reduce accidents on our roads still further.”
Notes
- There were 78 deaths or serious injuries on the borough’s roads in 2007, down from 117 the previous year, 131 in 2004 and 209 in 2000. The three year average for people killed or serious injured has now dropped from 167.3 per annum in 2002-04 to 96.3 per annum for 2005-07. The number of slight casualties fell to 711 in 2007, from 768 in 2006 and 1,284 in 2000.
- Picture shows one of the Haringey road safety officer Halema Uddin receiving an award from Nick Ross, chair of the London Accident Prevention Council.
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