RoSPA's Transport Committee recommendations

In recent decades, the UK has made huge strides in road safety. With various initiatives making significant impacts on the number of people killed, and seriously injured, on our roads. However, despite a reduction in fatal accidents of more than 40 per cent between 2007 and 2012, progress has stagnated. The Government’s Transport Committee has launched an inquiry into what more can be done.

RoSPA would like the following recommendations to be considered:

• We’d like to see further adoption of the Safe System approach with the target that no one is killed on the road

• We’d also like to see national road safety targets for England, as they have in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

• 20 mile per hour limits and zones should be supported, with a focus on education, publicity and engineering

• There should be greater police enforcement of drink- driving and mobile phone use, and an extension of the law to cover hands-free kits

• The drink- drive limit should also be lowered in England and Wales, to be brought in line with Scotland

• Active travel should be encouraged and promoted, with real- world road safety training for school children nationally

• A national design standard should be developed that encourages walking and cycling

• With around 25 per cent of all road accidents happening when someone is driving for work, the responsibilities of employers need to be clearly stated in the Government’s forthcoming Road Safety Statement.

For more on RoSPA’s road safety recommendations visit our consultation pages.

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