ROADSIDE signs that tell drivers they are speeding are the latest weapon in the fight to make County Durham's roads safer.

The signs are to be installed in Burnhope Way, Peterlee, and near the Cleves Cross Junior and Infant School in Ferryhill.

Educating drivers to obey limits and drive at safe speeds is central to Durham County Council's strategy, drawn up with organisations including the police.

The council's long-term aim is to reduce deaths and serious injuries by 40 per cent by 2010, halve child deaths, and cut the number of slight injuries by ten per cent.

Environment and technical services director Chris Tunstall said: "Figures have shown that where the signs are introduced, the percentage of drivers speeding falls from 70 per cent to 35 per cent.

"The vast majority of drivers don't speed on purpose, they just don't realise the speed they are going at.

"We want to educate drivers to cut their speed. Our roads are about the safest in the country and there are only one or two authorities that have fewer accidents per hundred thousand people.

"We want to improve on that and we have come up with a strategy to address the fact that speed is a contributory factor in 25 per cent of accidents.''

Two years ago there were 1,573 recorded accidents, compared with 12,646 in 1996, including 19 fatal and 155 serious injury incidents.

The strategy will also entail council engineering works to tackle problem roads and police enforcement of limits.

Assistant Chief Constable Ron Hogg said the emphasis of the force was to educate motorists.

He said: "We will advise drivers in the first instance, we think that is the better way, but if that fails we'll go down the road of enforcement.''

Police authority chairman Joe Knox said: "The impact of road accidents and the tragedies they leave in their wake cannot be minimised.