POLICE will take enforcement action on 'high harm routes' in Worcestershire as part of a safety initiative to cut road deaths across Europe.

Project EDWARD which stands for 'European Day Without A Road Death' is launched this Wednesday (September 21).

The Safer Roads Partnership in Warwickshire and West Mercia, Warwickshire Police and West Mercia Police are supporting the day.

Project EDWARD is the first of its kind and has been devised by the European Traffic Police Network (TISPOL) to draw attention to the average of 70 deaths occurring every day on the roads of Europe.

The aim is to encourage every road user to take to reflect on their attitudes and behaviour and think about their safety on the roads – whether they’re drivers, pedestrians, cyclists or motorcyclists.

Targeted police enforcement will take place on high harm routes across Warwickshire and West Mercia to

educate drivers about speeding, mobile phones, drink driving and drug driving.

People are being urged to make a pledge to reduce risk and improve safety on all journeys on the day and every day after that.

So far, more than 82,000 people have signed the pledge, which can be found at www.tispol.org/edward

Education work is also taking place through a local ‘Dying2Drive’ multi-agency road safety scheme in Herefordshire, aimed at reducing death and serious injury among young road users in the county.

TISPOL President Chief Superintendent Aidan Reid said: "Think about how you can reduce risk by always wearing a seatbelt, keeping to speeds that are both legal and appropriate for the conditions, not driving after drinking alcohol or taking drugs, and not using a mobile phone at the wheel."

Project EDWARD has the support of European Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc, the European Commissioner, the European Transport Safety Council and police forces from across TISPOL’s 30 member countries.

UK support for Project EDWARD comes from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), Road Safety GB, Road Safety Scotland, Road Safety Wales, the Automobile Association, GEM Motoring Assist and many public and private organisations.

There will also be sessions with a hard-hitting road traffic collision reconstruction with live casualties and all of the emergency services.

Students then get to witness the tragic aftermath of such a crash and the ripple effect it can have.

The reconstructions are closely followed by powerful, interactive workshops which are run by Hereford & Worcester Fire Service, West Mercia Police, Herefordshire Council, Safer Roads Partnership, West Midlands Ambulance Service and St John Ambulance. The sessions then conclude with a moving speech from a mother who lost her daughter in a tragic road traffic collision in 2010.