'Scared' residents count 'one driver every three minutes' on phone yards from fatal crash site

'One driver every three minutes' was caught visibly using their phone just metres from the spot where a pedestrian was killed in a lorry crash. While the investigation into the collision continues, residents of Stirchley and Bournville took to the site of the tragedy to demonstrate the amount of 'dangerous driving' they claim takes place in their neighbourhood.

The volunteers, supported by campaign group Better Streets for Birmingham, carried out the data collection exercise around the junction of Pershore Road and Middleton Hall road in Cotteridge. They claimed to have counted 39 drivers on their mobile phones in just 90 minutes, as well as multiple drivers jumping red lights.

The community was said to be 'reeling' from a collision on September 19 in which a 53-year-old man was killed at the junction of Pershore Road and Watford Road. He died in a collision with a lorry, with the driver helping police with inquiries.

READ MORE: Birmingham men jailed in £2.5 million drug bust as cocaine and cash seized from city safe houses

The investigation into the Pershore Road collision continued, West Midlands Police said. Local resident Adrian Platt, who took part in the data count, recalled his first thoughts on hearing news of the fatal collision. "My first thought was who is that person, do I know them, is it a friend or neighbour?," he said.

"My second thought was – that could have been me. I walk around here, I cycle around here, and the thought of popping out to the co-op and not coming back because I’ve been crushed by a lorry, it's just unthinkable."

Fellow resident Claire Hammond said the collision had left her feeling 'really scared' and 'worried' about her children. She added: "My oldest is 11 and I’m thinking am I bringing her up in a safe space?

"It makes me feel scared, and a bit helpless as well. She wants to go out on her own, and go to the shops on her own – when I was about 7 I used to go to the shops on my own but it’s not safe now."

Better Streets for Birmingham has undertaken multiple data collecting exercises across the city to highlight the extent of dangerous driving on the roads. Rachel Withey, secretary of the group, said local concerns about dangerous driving in the area of the collision prompted the study.

She said: "We've heard anecdotally from people who live around here that there’s a lot of speeding, a lot of dangerous driving, a lot of mobile phone use and we’re just trying to get a proper idea of the extent of that. We’ve seen 39 people using their phones in 90 minutes on this road today, as well as lots of red light jumping.

"We’ve also seen a huge number of HGVs, and there’s got to be a way of getting these off the road. It’s just not safe to have the number of pedestrians, cyclists, schoolkids you’ve got round here combined with those sorts of vehicles."

Better Streets for Birmingham is planning another city wide exercise to document mobile phone use black spots next month, and will publish the results on their website. The group have several hundred members in communities across the city.

West Midlands Police said it was 'absolutely committed' to working with partners to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on the roads of the West Midlands. A spokesperson said: "As part of the launch of the West Midlands Police Roads Policing Unit, we’ve created a second road harm prevention team to target motorists who commit the fatal four offences of speeding, drink/drug-driving, using mobile phones, and not wearing a seatbelt.

"But our officers can’t be everywhere at once, so we would encourage anyone with dashcam, helmet cam or mobile phone footage of careless or dangerous driving to send it to us. We act where we can, issuing fines and court summonses for the most serious cases, but also offering drivers education where we can."

Footage of dangerous or reckless driving can be sent to police here.