Government publishes road safety statement

A road safety statement has been issued by Andrew Jones, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, setting out the government’s vision, values and priorities for improving the safety of Britain’s roads.

The statement consists of an evaluation of current road safety, the context in which it is managed and  consultations on the development of specific issues.

It includes government proposals on dangerous in-car mobile phone use, reported by the RAC as being one of motorists’ top concerns. This could lead to increasing penalties of drivers using a hand-held mobile phone, possibly incurring an increase from three points to four on the drivers licence, the offering of an educational course for first time offenders, and an increase of the fixed penalty notice from £100 to £150.

Consultations may also include £2 million research programme to identify the best possible interventions for learner and novice drivers, support safety for motorcyclists, who account for 19% of all road deaths, including better training and improved safety equipment, legislative changes to improve urban cycle safety, and a £750,000 grant in 2015 to 2016 for police forces in England and Wales to build drug-driving enforcement capability.

Read the statement