The number of people killed on Bradford’s roads last year was the second lowest in 34 years. Nineteen people lost their lives in road accidents in the district in 2008, a 30 per cent fall.

But that total included four deaths in a single crash in Killinghall Road, Bradford, in December and a further multiple fatality on Hall Ings, Bradford, in October in which two 16-year-olds died.

In 2007, there were 27 road fatalities in the district.

Across West Yorkshire there was also 30 per cent drop in fatal road accident deaths with 71 last year compared with 103 in 2007.

The reduction has been hailed as “unprecedented” by the West Yorkshire Casualty Reduction Partnership (WYCRP).

There was also a fall in the number of people injured in roads accidents in the county totalling 9,411 in 2008 compared to 9,982 in 2007.

These reductions were mainly among car drivers and their passengers, down from 6,718 injuries to 6,249. There were also reductions in the number of motorcyclists and pedestrians injured over the same period while the number of pedal cyclists injured increased from 477 to 484.

Steve Thornton, chairman of WYCRP, said: “The reductions are good news for the road users of West Yorkshire and are the most significant since the county was formed in 1974.

“The figures reflect the concerted and co-ordinated effort among West Yorkshire agencies to deliver campaigns that address and engage with the community’s concerns.”

Mr Thornton, however, cautioned against complacency saying that while the overall decrease in casualties was positive there was still much work to be done in terms of safety promotion.

Brian Robson, senior community safety officer for West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, said: “Our firefighters are often first on the scene at road traffic collisions and it is their job to extricate casualties from their vehicles quickly. It is not a pleasant task and we would prefer not to be faced with these situations at all.”