AS debate still rages over the anti-speeding blitz in Lancashire, powerful evidence is produced today of its success in reducing death and injury on the roads.

It comes from results of the pioneering 'awareness' courses which drivers caught speeding are offered as an alternative to a £60 fixed-penalty fine and points on their licence.

The courses, run by the County Council, are the first of their kind in the country and aim to reduce the average speed of drivers -- an achievement that can mean the difference between life and death in road accidents.

And with more than 17,000 having opted for the courses since they were launched a year ago, a university study into their effect shows that three months after attending, motorists were indeed driving more slowly -- by between two and five miles per hour less on average.

It is a result that promises to make a marked improvement in road safety -- when research shows that if drivers reduced their speed by just one mile per hour, there would be a five per cent drop in accidents.

And with tests proving that a car driven at 35 mph is twice as likely to kill someone as a one driven at 30 mph and with most crashes occurring on roads with limits of 30 mph or less, the significant slow-down inspired by the courses suggests that substantial cut in accidents on Lancashire's roads may be achieved.

For a notable factor emerging from the courses is not just that drivers' speeds are beneficially reduced, but also that this is occurring through co-operation rather than coercion -- as they are slowing down not simply to avoid being caught and fined, but because they actually find it preferable.

It is instilling this sense of awareness -- and responsibility -- in every motorist that lies behind entire the anti-speeding drive and the indisputable goal of cutting death and injury on our roads.