CAN local newspapers still make a difference in the community they serve? We certainly think so.

Police in Bradford have caught 2,267 motorists breaking the law since they started their Operation Steerside crackdown on dangerous drivers on February 1.

The fact that the crackdown was inspired by the Telegraph & Argus' Stop The Danger Drivers campaign suggests newspapers can still make a difference.

Stop The Danger Drivers is one of 32 local newspaper campaigns across the UK which have been delivering real results for local communities and are in the running for the Making a Difference award which will be decided by a public vote during Local Newspaper Week, which starts today and finishes on Sunday.

The campaign has won praise from police, the local judiciary, senior government minister Chris Grayling, and the public since it was started at the end of last November. Mr Grayling, while on a visit to the city, said Bradford had been "dogged" by the issue of bad driving for years and that the campaign was a good example of how a newspaper can make a difference.

During our campaign, we have published video footage of numerous examples of dangerous motoring from across Bradford - thanks to readers, who are just as keen as we are to eradicate bad driving, sending videos in.

We started the campaign because of what we see ourselves on the district's roads, and because of the large number of people who raised concerns with us about the standard of driving across Bradford. We wanted to help stop the madness.

We took our campaign, and the ideas behind it, to West Yorkshire Police - and the force was spurred into starting its danger driving crackdown.

We set out a ten-point charter for change that we could take to MPs, the police, the Council, the Home Office and the Government to try to effect real change before the death toll escalates.

We called for: the standard of driver training and testing to be significantly raised; the minimum age for a full driving licence to be raised to at least 18; probationary driver status to be compulsory for the first 12 months after passing a test; new drivers to be forced to drive only speed limited cars with a maximum engine size for a fixed period or until they reach the age of 25; police to set up a bad-driving hotline to deal with public complaints; increased use of CCTV on dangerous roads identified by the public as regular routes for speeding or dangerous drivers; drivers with no insurance to face a mandatory driving ban of at least 12 months; a halt to any further cuts to traffic police numbers; stronger sentences for anyone convicted of dangerous driving; and mandatory re-education and training programmes for any driver convicted of careless or dangerous driving.

Telegraph & Argus editor Perry Austin-Clarke said: "This is a vitally important campaign for Bradford and its residents. We had to take action to try and help improve standards of driving and make it safer to be out on Bradford's roads, so we mobilised the Stop The Danger Drivers campaign.

"The campaign shows yet again how important the local press is in providing real support to the communities they work in. Newspapers provide a voice for the residents they serve.

"The police would not have started Operation Steerside without the influence of our campaign.

MORE STOP THE DANGER DRIVERS STORIES

"Since then, through police figures, we have seen the impact it is having. But it is only the tip of the iceberg.

"We want to continue the fight to rid Bradford's roads of ignorant, inconsiderate, and dangerous drivers.

"And residents can play their part. We have received many videos from members of the public showing some outrageous examples of bad driving. Keep sending them in.

"Only by highlighting those behind dangerous, potentially deadly, driving, can we begin to really tackle the problem."

Steerside was due to end on March 31 but was so successful, police decided to extend it by 12 weeks. In the first phase there were 1,539 motorists caught. The second phase, up to last Monday, has seen 728 drivers snared.

There has also been a drop in the number of reported crashes across the district, numbers had reduced from a weekly average of 130 between November and January, to 118 between February 1 and March 20 after the crackdown began.

Superintendent Damien Miller, of Bradford District Police, said: "We would like to congratulate the Telegraph & Argus for its nomination for the Making a Difference award.

"The Stop The Danger Drivers campaign has clearly struck a chord with the public and we continue to back this through the work of Operation Steerside, which is helping to make the district's roads safer for all."

Local Newspaper Week is an annual initiative by the local newspaper industry and Local Media Works to highlight the important role played by local papers in communities across the UK.

Online voting starts today at 9.30am and runs until 5pm on Wednesday. Go to www.localnewspaperweek.co.uk to cast your vote for our campaign.

The winner will be announced by News Media Association chairman Ashley Highfield at the Society of Editors Regional Press Awards on Friday.