A WIDE-RANGING report into fatal car accidents has recommended a clampdown on roadside memorials for crash victims.

The report has been produced as part of a review of North Yorkshire County Council's efforts to reduce deaths and serious injuries from road accidents.

The report suggests that a policy should be drawn up to deal with roadside memorials because they can be a distraction and could contribute to a further accident. One idea is to remove memorials after a few days and put a notice at the site to explain why they have been taken away.

The report also identifies driver education as the key to reducing road accidents, but urges cyclists, horse riders and walkers to recognise that they are responsible for their own safety.

The council plans to encourage the police to advertise their powers to seize vehicles used by drivers in breach of the law and to use these powers more fully. Safety cameras and vehicle activated signs should also be used more widely, according to the report.

Councillor John Fletcher, chairman of the environmental services overview and scrutiny committee, which put together the report, said: "The scrutiny examination confirmed that North Yorkshire County Council, along with many other organisations, is seriously engaged in implementing measures to reduce road traffic accidents in the county and elsewhere.

"Reducing the number of fatal and serious injury accidents on North Yorkshire's highways is not just a matter of police enforcement but a community issue, where the county council is a key player."

The review was initially commissioned to look into motorcycle accidents in the county, but the committee decided that it should consider all road users.

Government statistics put the cost of road accidents in North Yorkshire in 2002 at £229m. This includes lost output by casualties, the cost to the NHS and blue light services and the social and human cost.

The report will be presented to the council's executive tomorrow.