The Transport Committee has launched an inquiry into the Road Safety Strategy.
The Labour Party government faces a backlash over road safety plans. The Transport Committee has launched an inquiry into the Road Safety Strategy.
The Labour Party government is coming under scrutiny for how realistic the strategy is. The new Road Safety Strategy aims to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured by 65 per cent by 2035.
There is also a goal to reduce the number of children under 16 killed or seriously injured on roads by 70 per cent. Transport Committee Chair Ruth Cadbury said: “The number of people dying on our roads recently has plateaued after some years of steady decline, with too many people killed and seriously injured in preventable incidents.”
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The Labour MP for Brentford and Isleworth explained that while the Committee is pleased to see the new strategy, “we want to explore whether ministers are heading in the right direction to really make a difference”.
She questioned: “Should more be done to ensure that learner drivers are setting off on the right path, and how do we reduce deaths and serious injuries involving older drivers while still maintaining their independence?
“How should evidence on the relationship between speed limits and safety influence new guidance? What scope is there for road design and maintenance to further improve safety? And what can we learn about the effectiveness of various approaches in other countries?”
The Strategy stated: “To protect young people and to keep the roads safe for everyone, the Government is consulting on introducing a three or six-month minimum learning period for learner drivers.
“A minimum learning period would give learners more time to develop their skills and gain experience in varied conditions, such as driving at night, in adverse weather, and in heavy traffic.”
Labour Party Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: “This is a warning I won’t ignore. We must take action and reject the flawed idea that drivers alone bear responsibility.
“We need to address how we design our roads and vehicles, how we educate road users, including testing drivers and riders, and the laws we make and enforce.”
