The number of casualties on Redbridge roads fell to a three-year low in 2012 but more people were killed and seriously injured in accidents.

Four people were killed in the year, including grandmother Harbhajan Kaur, who died after being hit by a police motorbike outside her home in Eastern Avenue.

Mrs Kaur, 78, was crossing the road on her way to sing at a gurdwara when the accident happened on June 26.

A further 89 people were seriously injured in crashes but most were not seriously hurt. There were 894 people injured in total – down on 946 in 2011.

But despite the fall in numbers, road safety remains a major concern in Redbridge.

There has already been one death this year at a notorious accident blackspot.

Jothi Sriskandapalan, 29, was on her way to pick her husband up from Newbury Park Tube station when her car collided with another vehicle in Eastern Avenue on May 15.

Improvements at the junction had been promised by Mayor of London Boris Johnson months before but will not be in place until the autumn.

Cllr Ruth Clark described the junction, where vehicles cross the dual carriageway without traffic lights, as “dangerous”.

Safety improvements on roads through Redbridge are carried out by Transport for London, while Redbridge Council handles changes to minor roads.

They also work with police and the London Fire Brigade to prevent crashes.

Redbridge fire borough commander Steve Brown said: “Although I welcome the decrease in the number of injuries I’m concerned about the severity and the number of deaths.”

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He said many factors can contribute to accidents, including driving too fast for the roads or conditions, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol and being distracted by mobile phones or other people in the car.

Under the new London Safety Plan, firefighters will be responsible for more road safety initiatives in schools in Redbridge, like the annual Safe Drive Stay Alive campaign which targets teenage drivers.

Mr Brown said: “With the council alone with police, we will continue to provide education and support to make roads safer.”