The Transport Committee has launched an inquiry that will examine the ambitions and potential effectiveness of the Government’s new Road Safety Strategy. Published earlier this month, the new strategy aims to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on Britain’s roads.
It is the first road safety strategy in over a decade and sets out the Government’s intended approach across four different themes: supporting road users, using technology, data and innovation, safer infrastructure and robust enforcement.
The Committee will examine the Government’s proposals and the series of consultations that has been launched under the strategy.
MPs will consider whether the targets set by the Government reflect the right level of ambition, and whether arrangements across Government departments are strong enough to achieve these targets.
Alongside this, the Committee will investigate what measures would be most effective in reducing deaths and serious injuries involving new and novice drivers, and what is the right approach to safe driving later in life.
MPs will also consider evidence on wider issues raised by the strategy, including speed limit management, road design, safety on rural roads, and lessons from international and UK practice.
Transport Committee Chair Ruth Cadbury said:
“The number of people dying on our roads recently has plateaued after some years of steady decline, with too many people killed and seriously injured in preventable incidents.
“After a long wait for action to address this, the Transport Committee is pleased to see the Government stepping up with a new strategy. Now we want to explore whether ministers are heading in the right direction to really make a difference
“Do we have the right level of ambition and the right arrangements in place to realise them? Should more be done to ensure that learner drivers are setting off on the right path, and how do we reduce deaths and serious injuries involving older drivers while still maintaining their independence?
“How should evidence on the relationship between speed limits and safety influence new guidance? What scope is there for road design and maintenance to further improve safety? And what can we learn about the effectiveness of various approaches in other countries?
“These are some of the questions that the Transport Committee’s inquiry will touch upon as we consider a range of perspectives. We will then make recommendations to the Government to best ensure that the Road Safety Strategy achieves its aims and works for all road users.”
Terms of reference and call for evidence
The Committee is welcoming written submissions. These can be made by 13 March via the Committee’s website and should respond to any of the following terms of reference.
- The strategy sets targets of a 65 per cent reduction in people killed or seriously injured (KSI), and a 70 per cent reduction in child KSIs, by 2035. Do these targets reflect the right level of ambition?
- Are governance, delivery and resourcing arrangements across Government departments and key partners strong enough to achieve these targets?
- Are the measures set out in the Strategy collectively sufficient to deliver its targets? What further measures, if any, would strengthen its impact?
- Are the measures set out in the Strategy based on robust evidence?
- The Government has said its Strategy is informed by Sweden’s Safe System approach. What other international or UK examples offer the most relevant lessons for reducing deaths and serious injuries?
Theme 1: Supporting road users
- What measures would be most effective in reducing deaths and serious injuries involving new and novice drivers? What are the likely impacts of introducing a minimum learning period for learner drivers?
- What is the right approach to safe driving later in life? What safeguards are required to protect both safety and independence of older drivers?
- What should the proposed work-related road safety charter require of organisations that employ people to drive or ride for work?
- To what extent does fear of traffic danger deter certain modes of travel, particularly walking and cycling, and what measures would be most effective in addressing this?
- What should reform of motorcycle training, testing and licensing look like in practice?
Theme 2: Taking advantage of technology, data and innovation for safer vehicles and post collision care
- How can Government maximise the safety benefits of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and ensure they are used safely and appropriately?
- What is the right approach to strengthening vehicle safety standards? What measures should the Government prioritise in response to issues such as headlamp glare, increasing vehicle size and any broader issues not currently being considered by the Government’s consultation?
Theme 3: Ensuring infrastructure is safe
- How should evidence on the relationship between speed limits and safety influence new guidance? Does the Strategy strike the correct balance between a nationally-set direction and local decision-making regarding speed?
- What measures would be most effective in improving safety on rural roads, and is the Strategy’s proposed approach sufficient?
- What scope is there for road design and maintenance to further improve safety?
Theme 4: Robust enforcement to protect all road users
- What measures would most improve compliance and deterrence in relation to motoring offences? Which such offences have the biggest impacts on collision and casualty rates?
- What role do the type and severity of sanctions play in deterring dangerous driving, and which sanctioning approaches are most effective at changing driver behaviour?
