TRAFFIC police have pulled up hundreds of drivers during a major safety crackdown on the busy A590 road to Barrow, reports Rachel Kitchen.

The motorists were stopped during a high visibility police road safety campaign along the road, targeting the highest accident risk spots such as High and Low Newton, and Greenodd.

Police found drivers had

committed more than 350 motoring offences, of which 218 were linked to speeding and 32 to not wearing seatbelts.

The campaign ran from early January to Easter Monday and during that time four people were seriously injured in road accidents, and 13 people slightly injured.

However, nobody was killed for the first time in three years.

Inspector Keith Wilberforce of South Cumbria Mobile Support Group said: "This high-visibility campaign was held to reduce the number of injury accidents for the whole length of the road.

Using analysis to target the highest risk sections, marked and unmarked patrols were used to target offences of speeding, seat belts, vehicle defects and other driving offences.

"The results clearly show that a proportion of motorists continue to risk their lives and the lives of other road users by breaking the law.

"Our campaign has taken a hard line against that offending, and it is also important to note that some impact has been made on improving the safety of people travelling along that road - for the first time in three years there had not been someone killed in a road traffic collision on the A590 during the period January to March."

Cumbria police press officer Mike Smith said police hoped the campaign had some influence on driver behaviour, but they were "all too aware" of the "fine line" between someone being seriously injured in an accident, and someone dying subsequently.

Police will continue to monitor the situation, and they are planning another campaign for September to November.

Meanwhile, Furness Enterprise chief executive Harry Knowles is demanding to know why the Government has approved plans for a Temple Sowerby bypass, but the High and Low Newton bypass on the A590 has not been given the go-ahead.