The Executive Director of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety is criticising what he calls the “absence of national leadership” which he fears could lead to “more death and injury on the roads”.

Following a delay to the publication of the Department for Transport’s new Road Safety Strategic Framework, David Davies has written a scathing article for the Road Safety GB website – an organisation made up of representatives from groups across the UK, including local government road safety teams.

In it he criticises delays in delivering a Road Safety Strategic Framework, a two-year lack of a response to the the Roads Policing Review call for evidence, and more than 18 months without a response to another call on road safety targets, a delay in a report to the safety of e-scooters, a long delay in a consultation on seat belt offences, and a failure to implement regulations of vehicle safety standards.

“Why is it so difficult for a government that has demonstrated ambition and delivery to come up with a strategy to kill far fewer people on the roads?,” Mr Davies writes. “This government has rolled out one of the fastest Covid vaccination programmes, announced an end to production of petrol and diesel cars by 2030, and endorsed a target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050. By comparison, road safety should be slam-dunk! It need not be nearly as expensive or controversial as these bigger agendas. It just needs leadership – which seems to be sadly lacking.”

He concludes by commenting, “There are many authorities, organisations and individuals committed to the cause but in the absence of national leadership, they will struggle. And even more people will pay with their lives.”

You can read the full article here.

(Picture – Road Safety GB)