YEP says: Squad to quash careless drivers is welcome

You may well feel aggrieved that your minor indiscretions are penalised if you stray a couple of miles per hour over the speed limit or park a little too longer than you’ve paid for, but that those who drive dangerously through our city seem to get away with it.

Well, that may be about to change. Moderate motorists will be delighted that West Yorkshire Police is launching what it calls a ‘semi-covert’ squad to clamp down on anti-social behaviour on our roads.

Police say it is a ‘key priority’ and we say it can’t come too soon. People who drive stupidly through our city’s roads and communities are putting lives and property at risk. If they have such disregard for what damage they may cause to themselves and others we may assume they take the same devil-may-care attitude to their car insurance as s well.

In Leeds, 331 people were killed or hurt in accidents last year. This was a seven per cent decrease overall, but the numbers of children and cyclists hurt have gone up slightly. Some will be down to honest accidents, of course, but not all. We hear the new police team which will tackle “criminal use of roads”. That may be police jargon but we welcome it none the less.