Paul Clark, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, and Edmund King, President of the Automobile Association, spent over an hour answering questions on the proposals in the road safety consultation document.
Read the document here: www.dft.gov.uk/roadsafetyconsultation
Read the transcript:
Moderator says: Paul and Edmund have arrived and we’ll be starting the webchat shortly.
Alan Millar: If the 50 mph limit is introduced for “one lane in each direction’ roads will there be more dual carriage-ways so that journey times are not ridiculous, eg A1, A9.
Edmund replies: Hello this is Edmund King, glad to be here.
We agree that dual carriageway roads are safer but it is not practical to upgrade the majority of our roads. We believe that dangerous stretches need lower speed limits rather than a blanket reduction on all roads.
Mike: Hello, is it true that you have crazy plans of reducing roads currentlt of 30mph to 20mph?
Paul replies: Hi, it’s Paul Clark. Thanks to those who’ve already posted questions, we’ll try to get through as many as possible today.
On rural roads we have 40% of the traffic and 60% of deaths so it’s clear we need to do something about it. That is why we propose that local authorities review the speed limits on the most dangerous roads and reduce them where they will have the biggest impact on casualties. We also need to make sure that the streets where people are living are safe which is why we’re also asking local authorities to introduce 20mph limits and zones in residential areas.
Ryan Young: Wouldn’t Britain’s roads be much safer if the Government/local councils offer to pay for ‘pass plus’ courses for everyone, rather than in only a few councils?
Edmund replies: We need to train young drivers better. There are many things they can choose to do after passing their test - the AA charitable trust is offering free drive smart courses to new drivers most at risk, covering safety environment and economy. Info about the course is available here.
Stewart Sutherland: The policy for educating your people as new drivers is flawed: I am a driving instructor of 20 + years experience…by the time we get them at 17 their attitudes are already fixed both by peer group & often parental performance. Children have very little Road Safety Input after their Cycling Proficiency Test at age 10 (ish). We need to get into the schools from age 13 onwards if we have any chance of changing attitudes. Also could we have compulsory retesting of all drivers who collect more than 6 penalty points in a 2 year period?
Paul replies: We know that young drivers are over represented in the casualty statistics although the latest figures showed a 22% reduction in deaths in crashes involving car drivers aged 17-24. However, we cannot be complacent. We recently set out our plans to reform the driving learning and testing process. A key part of this is a new safe road use qualification for 14-17 year olds, which counts towards the theory test.
Andrew Stone: Hopefully a timely question given the summer rock festival season. Anecdotally, drug driving is as big an issue (or bigger) than drink driving. However, whilst is causes death and injury on our roads, awareness is very low and enforcement is even lower. What are the plans to increase awareness? Also, what are the plans to give more testing powers to the police - currently they rely on the “peter piper picked a peck…” and “walking a straight line” tests. These appear totally inadequate.
Edmund replies: We agree that drug driving is potentially as big a problem as drink driving. 72 per cent of AA members in AA/Populus survey believe that it should be an offence to drive with traces of any illegal drug in the body. A roadside testing device would greatly help the police, as many dirvers currently take drugs as well as alcohol and only get prosecuted for drink driving. We believe that post mortems for drivers killed should include a test for illegal drugs. Awareness campaigns at festivals are also needed.
Godfrey Fane: Every Government initiative and my personal consultations with local police ultimately fail to change the behaviour of bad & dangerous drivers. Is this down to lack of money/resources or failure of police procedures? I drive every day in anxiety and stress expecting a roadrage incident of some kind and the bad outcome for me as an innocent driver despite being 6′6″ and physically imposing.
Paul replies: If I could start with drug driving to follow on from Edmund’s comments, we are about to launch a major campaign to raise awareness of this important issue. We are also looking at whether there should be a new offence of driving with an impairing drug in the system, which would bring the offence in line with drink driving. This is one of a number of measures to crack down on dangerous behaviours such as extreme speeding, careless driving and failure to wear a seatbelt. Alongside this, we run hard hitting, award winning awareness THINK! road safety campaigns to ensure people are aware of the dangers.
Paul Luton: Driving using a hand-held phone is illegal but commonly seen. If illegal behaviour is tolerated how can irresponsible driving be stopped. Continental standards of liability in the event of injuring vulnerable road users might focus the mind.
Edmund replies: What we need is more cops in cars. Then they can enforce the car phone law, and lots of other ones governing behaviours that annoy and endanger all road users - tailgating, lanehogging, undertaking and a welter of other things.
Andy Ray: Sorry, just a while ago I’ve submitted a bunch of 5 recommendations, but the last one had an incomplete sentence, unfortunately. So please replace/read that last bullet point as follows and oblige : No opaque vehicle, particularly large vans or trucks, should be allowed to park on the street (or in a parking bay created inset for parking on the street) within 3 meters of a road corner.
Paul replies: Vehicle safety technology has played a big part in reducing casualties over the past decade. Crash protection technologies, like airbags, will become more prevalent in the vehicle fleet in the next decade but we also expect new technologies, such as electronic stability control, which help avoid collisions in the first place to become much more common.
Ed jason: Are electric vehicles safer statistically? How many government vehicles use statistically safer vehicles?
Edmund replies: The next generation will be as safe as conventional vehicles, and will be EuroNCAP tested. The AA is working with One NE and Newcastle University to ensure the electric vehicle strategy embraces safety as well as the environment.
The lack of engine noise may be a safety problem in the short term but manufacturers are looking to address this.
Peter Whitfield: Although the government intends to set targets, there appears to be no compunction for individual highway authortities to do likewise. Should the law be strengthened to give soem teeth to the targets?
Paul replies: We have a vision of having the safest roads in the world. In our road safety strategy consultation, which closes on Tuesday, we propose a target to reduce deaths by a third and deaths and serious injuries to children by 50% by 2020. But we also set out our plans for how this should be achieved; by improving our road engineering, and our vehicles as well as improving testing and training and cracking down on the irresponsible few. We will also highlight the riskiest roads to encourage Local Authorities and their partners to take action where it’s most needed.
Ed Jason: Why isn’t driving taught in school as it in America - then safety can be taught too?
Edmund replies: We agree that more needs to be done here - road safety is a vital lifeskill a fact borne out by it being the biggest killer of young people. Many young driver problems stem from the wrong attitudes and the time to put this right is before the attitudes develop. This means in a driver’s early teens.
Paul says: I’ve already mentioned our new safe road user qualification for 14-17 year olds and this is being rolled out across the country. But we also are introducing THINK! education materials for use in schools for children of all ages, from early years through to pre driver.
Israr Yaqub: Hello Paul, hello Edmund. I have a moderate learning disability problem can it stop me from driving?
Edmund replies: We are determined that learning diffculties should not preclude people from getting driving licences. We always bear this in mind when we are consulted on changes to the way people learn to drive.
Tim Desmond: I have noticed an iniative in Primary schools where children are encouraged to cycle to school. I have two daughters aged 10 and 7 who participate in the iniative and from an environmental perspective I can see the postives from a variety of view points. It does concern me however that there is no mandatory cycling proficiency test similar to the one (If my memory serves me well!!) that existed when I was a child - admittedly it was some time ago. Am I right in saying that the AA used to conduct a cycling proficiency test and certifcate children who passed? I seem to remember this from when I was a child but like I say this was some time ago!!I am not sure on the Road Safety stats but from a personal point of view I would like to see some sort of mandatory cycling proficiency test reintroduced to ensure children who cycle to school are capable.(My childrens school is very good so no side swipe intended at the school!!) Thank you, Tim Desmond.
Paul replies: The new cycling proficiency is called Bikeability and our aim is to train half a million 10-11 year olds in the skills needed to cycle safely on our roads. Each school should have a travel plan, which covers walking and cycling. Our consultation on road safety also proposes that Local Authorities introduce more 20mph zones and limits in residential areas and around schools, which will improve safety for cyclists as well as pedestrians.
Edmund replies: We campaign for drivers to think about cyclists and for cyclists to think about drivers. We are trying to address the tragic problem of lorries and cyclists at junctions, which is well known in London. Many drivers, including myself, are also keen cyclists - it should not be us and them.
Lee Baker: Do you feel more needs to be done in tackling the issues of foreign lorry drivers involved in serious side swipe collisions on our roads and motorways? e.g. side window blind spot mirrors.
Paul replies: We have distributed 40,000 Fresnal lenses, which increase the range of vision for left hand drive trucks, to reduce the number of motorway side swipe incidents. In addition, to tackle unsafe foreign vehicles on our roads we have provided the Vehicle and Operator Service Agency with an extra £24million to fund a 50% increase in the number of checks, and new enforcement sites.
Harry Kershaw: I see many battery powered disabled persons mobility vehicles on the roads. In my opinion this is extremely dangerous. What is the government going to do about this. Also what is the Government going to do about the increasing number of bicycles that are now ridden on the pavements.This practice to an elderly pedestrian if hit, could be fatal.
Paul replies: The older road user is an issue which is going to become more and more important as the population ages. But it isn’t just a safety issue, it has implications for transport, health , social matters, mobility and independence. All these must be taken into account. “Buggies” play an important role for many in this age group. We also have to remember that older pedestrians have exactly the same problem as any other older road users.
John Bentley: Is it not time we started to become much more radical in our approach to road safety and ‘do instead of talk’ about the way forward, ie Ban all vehicles from roads that cannot be navigated by them safely this includes public transport, long wheel based vehicles that have to use the wrong side of the road to negotiate junctions and corners, or indeed mount the curbs to do so especially in the most populated of areas, lets remove driver frustration by banning Heavy goods vehicles from overtaking on dual carriageways at 1mph faster than the inside vehicle, just two of many suggestions that would save lives,everyone knows what wants doing but no ones brave enough when in power to enforce radical change?
Paul replies: Actually John I don’t agree with you. We have already been very successful in reducing casualties on our roads. Compared to the mid 90s we have reduced deaths and serious injuries by 40% - that’s more than 19,000 fewer deaths and serious injuries on our roads in a year and means we met a vital road safety target two years early. But we know we need to do more, which is why we are currently consulting on a new road safety strategy for the next decade. And I am confident it sets out the policies to give us the safest roads in the world.
Thank you very much for taking part today and sorry if I didn’t manage to answer your question, I got through as many as I could! It’s great that there is so much interest in road safety. If you haven’t already done so please take the time to give us your views on the road safety strategy consultation , which closes on Tuesday 14th July. Thanks, and hope to chat again soon!
Edmund replies: Sorry we weren’t able to answer more questions due to my slow typing. The AA is keen to hear all your views on road safety. Please continue the debate with us at www.theaa.com/zone. Stay safe.
Moderator says: Thank you to everyone for taking part. Look out for more webchats coming soon.
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