BRADFORD Council leaders will tell colleagues how they hope to take the district’s road safety campaigns “to the next level” at a meeting tomorrow.

A motion entitled ‘The district takes a stand against dangerous driving’, moved by Councillor Abdul Jabar, portfolio holder for neighbourhoods and community safety, will be debated when the Full Council meets at City Hall.

The authority’s “new ideas” on how to drive the initiatives forward are yet to be revealed, but the officer behind Operation Steerside, the West Yorkshire Police crackdown on road safety, said he welcomed “anything that helped contribute to saving lives.”

The motion also mentioned the Telegraph & Argus’ ‘Stop the Danger Drivers’ campaign, which marked its second anniversary last month.

The Council unanimously agreed to endorse the campaign at a meeting in October last year, with councillors urged to lobby their MPs for changes in the laws governing dangerous drivers.

In October this year, the government confirmed that drivers found guilty of offences involving causing death by speeding, street racing, or the use of a mobile phone could now face life sentences in prison.

In the motion, the Council states that it notes that: “The success of Operation Steerside in reducing speeding, lack of seatbelts, driving under the influence, mobile phone use, and uninsured and unlicensed drivers.

“Dangerous driving continues to be a blight causing misery in all parts of our district.

“Together with police, local MPs, and partners Bradford is taking action to raise awareness and tackle the causes of dangerous driving through the ‘Stop the Danger Drivers’ campaign.”

The motion then states that the Council: “Will work together with all local MPs, police, and partners to take the campaign to the next level in tackling the issue.

“Will work with partners to look at options for extending the successful enforcement and prevention activities,

“Will mount a campaign in the run-up to Christmas encouraging people to stay safe at this family time.”

Asked to provide further details on how the aims of the motion would be achieved, Cllr Jabar said: “As the law-abiding majority we are taking a stand against all kinds of dangerous and anti-social driving in this district because it is simply unacceptable and a blight on all our communities.

“Our Council motion aims to build on the success of Stop the Danger Drivers and Operation Steerside, which has apprehended over 11,000 drivers so far. It’s the ideal time to do this as we enter the Christmas period and the New Year.

“In the run-up to Christmas for example we are supporting the national ‘Not the Usual Suspects’ campaign, which challenges perceptions around drink driving. We have other new ideas which we want to discuss at Full Council for the first time before rolling them out over Christmas and the new year.”

The motion also states that the authority supports the actions of Judith Cummins, Labour MP for Bradford South, who was awarded a Parliamentary Road Safety Award by the charity Brake for raising the issue of dangerous driving on a national level.

Mrs Cummins said she “welcomed the Council’s commitment” to taking a stand against the issue, which she raised again in the House of Commons this week when calling on West Yorkshire Police and the DVLA to be recognised for identifying 540 untaxed vehicles on Bradford’s roads in a week-long operation last month.

Sergeant Cameron Buchan, who is leading Steerside, said he had attended a recent meeting with Council staff to keep them updated on the progress of the operation, such as its recent expansion into the Keighley area.

He said: “As always from the Council, there was a feeling that they wanted to continue our partnership and do their bit. It was a case of where can we go from here.

“I’d be very interested in hearing the ideas, as I want to keep Steerside going for as long as possible and would welcome any joint venture towards that common goal. If the ideas can help raise the profile of the initiative and allow it to move forward and progress, then I’m all for it. Anything that contributes to saving lives has to be a good thing.”