Fire crews to crash rescue

Date published: 04/10/2007

Firefighters now rescue more people from car crashes than they do from blazing buildings in Greater Manchester.

Last year there were 955 incidents across the region where firemen had to release people trapped in cars, needing first aid, or make vehicles safe after a crash.

The statistics came out as transport officials revealed North-West drivers are three times more likely to be killed on a rural road, than in town driving.

Long straights, demanding bends, as well as less traffic and fewer pedestrians, can make drivers believe it is safe to go faster than they normally would, the Transport Department says.

And it launched an education campaign today on radio stations around the country warning drivers not to go faster than the conditions allow.

Ninety-seven people died in the North-West in 2006 as a result of accidents on a rural roads.

Barry Dixon, County Fire Officer for the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, said: "It is a startling fact that annually we now rescue more people who are trapped in cars than we do from fires."