ROADS on Teesside are at their safest since records began in 1991, new figures have revealed.

The Cleveland Road Safety Partnership (CRSP) has recorded that all four local authorities saw a reduction in the number of casualties last year.

The CRSP authorities have also met the casualty reduction targets set out in the Government's Road Safety Strategy Tomorrow's Roads: Safer for Everyone, which were a 40 per cent reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured in road accidents, a 50 per cent reduction in the number of children killed or seriously injured and a 10 per cent reduction in the minor casualty rate.

The partnership believes its work on road safety has prevented 190 child casualties.

Richard McGuckin, head of technical services at Stockton Borough Council, visited pupils at Ingleby Mill Primary School, in Ingleby Barwick, after they won a road safety quiz and raised more than £800 for Butterwick Hospice.

Mr McGuckin said: "We are delighted to have met the Government's challenging targets for a reduction in the number of people being killed or seriously injured on our roads.

"It proves partnership working in terms of education, enforcement and engineering, is being successful in protecting our communities' road safety.

"Whilst we mustn't forget the people who have been injured on our roads, it is good news that we have seen such a consistent and significant reduction.

"I would also like to thank the public who have changed their own behaviour and attitudes when travelling in the area and have obviously taken care with their own and their families' road safety in order for us to achieve these figures."