Road Safety Bill - the debate continues

Following on from the the Queen's Speech, the Government published its Road Safety Bill last week.

"The UK has a good road safety record and the Government remains committed to reducing the numbers of people killed and seriously injured on our roads," said transport secretary Alistair Darling. "The number of road casualties is at its lowest for nearly 50 years - but even so, much more needs to be done."

However the new road safety Bill has provoked reaction from various road safety groups. The road safety charity Brake issued a press release asking for proposals for graduated fines for speeding to be dropped from the Bill. Brake strongly objects to this 'road danger' proposal, which would further weaken already 'ridiculously low penalties'.

Transport 2000 and the Slower Speeds Initiative are also concerned that the Bill could send the wrong message to motorists. "The Government will be a complete hypocrite if it lowers penalties for speeding," said Julie Thomas, from Transport 2000.  "On the one hand it's running a campaign saying 'Think! Slow down' and 'Speed kills' and then it is not so bad to break the limit after all.

"This is despite giving advice on its own website that around two-thirds of all accidents in which people are killed or seriously injured happen on roads where the speed limit is 40mph or less - and that in a collision with a pedestrian at 35mph a driver is twice as likely to kill someone as he or she is at 30mph."

Commenting on the Bill, Robert Gifford, executive director, PACTS said: "The inclusion of a Bill to promote road safety shows that the Government has at last recognised that road safety is a quality of life issue. If we can reduce speeds on our roads and tackle incidents of dangerous and careless driving, we can begin to make our communities safer and more pleasant places in which to live, work and play.

"Particularly welcomed are the proposals to introduce evidential roadside breath testing and to make using a hand-held mobile phone an endorsable offence. These will send clear messages to motorists to change their behaviour.

"What is not so clear, however, is the detail of the proposal to have fixed penalties for speeding offences. The principle of matching the punishment to the severity of the offence is a right one. It should also be accompanied by the severity of the outcome. We must not suggest that the present punishment for breaking the 30mph limit should be watered down. It is in 30mph areas where pedestrians, children and cyclists are most at risk," concluded Mr Gifford.