Yorkshire is one of the most densely populated regions of the UK, and it is served by a road network that links major cities with some of the busiest motorways in the country. But there are also remote areas of Yorkshire where major A roads and country lanes allow road users to drive with more freedom. Unfortunately this results in road traffic offences being committed and drivers facing the prospect of prosecution, and Yorkshire as a region is representative of the UK as a whole when it comes to the most common road traffic offences.
The Fatal 5 in West Yorkshire
This year the West Yorkshire Combined Authority has targeted the ‘Fatal 5’, which is a list of the most common road traffic offences committed on the region’s roads. The emphasis here is that the majority of road traffic accidents are preventable, but nevertheless, the authority claims the ‘Fatal 5’ are:
- Careless driving
- Drink and drug driving
- Not wearing a seatbelt
- Using a mobile phone while driving
- Speeding
It is fair to assume that these are the most common causes of road traffic accidents throughout the region, not just in West Yorkshire, and at Ison Harrison in Castleford we can refer to our own experiences and agree that clients we have represented for road traffic offences have fallen under these categories in most cases.
In Bradford, West Yorkshire Police started the ‘Operation Snap’ campaign in 2021, which encourages members of the public to submit footage of traffic offences they see. This led to nearly 8000 reports in 2023, and in the first three months of 2024 there had been over 2000 reports, with 73% of these relating to ‘driving without reasonable consideration for others and without due care and attention’. West Yorkshire Police claim that 67% of these reports have resulted in the offenders being prosecuted.
Road traffic offences in Castleford
Castleford is very typical of the type of town in West Yorkshire that sees lots of traffic and is served by a road network that links it to several major cities. The 45,000 population of Castleford has good road links to surrounding towns and villages such as Pontefract, Normanton and Featherstone and also has a large percentage of the population commuting to larger cities such as Leeds, York and Wakefield. Castleford is situated in the middle of an area surrounded by the M1, M62 and A1 motorways, and already in 2025 there have been two fatalities caused by road traffic accidents in Castleford. So West Yorkshire’s focus on the ‘Fatal 5’ definitely applies to Castleford, where at least one of those fatalities was caused by dangerous driving while over the alcohol limit.
If you have caused a road traffic offence and are facing potential prosecution, our team at Ison Harrison’s Castleford branch can support you with your case. We can represent you throughout the process and ensure you understand your rights and how the process will work. We can represent you during any court proceedings to ensure you get fair treatment and your case is suitably defended, so contact our team at Ison Harrison in Castleford today.
