Ending the Scandal of Complacency: Road Safety Beyond 2010

HC 460, Eleventh Report of Session 2007-08 - Report, Together with Formal Minutes

Author:

House of Commons - Transport Committee

Publisher:

TSO (The Stationery Office)

Although road accident deaths have halved between 1958 and 2007 whilst the number of licensed motor vehicles and vehicle mileage covered increased by 400%, the current rate of 3,000 deaths and 250,000 injuries is still an unacceptably high level.

Road accidents are the largest single cause of death for people between the ages of 5 and 35 in Britain and road accidents cost our economy some £18 billion each year. The number of deaths and injuries on roads far outweighs the deaths and injuries in other transport modes, and should be viewed as a major public health problem.

The Government should establish a British Road Safety Survey to track overall casualty and safety trends, and review current methods for recording road-traffic injuries. The Committee recommends a systems approach to road safety: ensuring the vehicle, the road infrastructure, regulations and driver training are designed to similar safety and performance standards.

Other recommendations include:

• more 20 mph speed limits;

• a more proactive approach to determining the safety benefits of new vehicle technologies;

• action on young drivers - who represent a disproportionate risk to road users - and vulnerable users: motorcyclists, elderly and child pedestrians and cyclists, horse riders; and

• a higher priority given to enforcement of drink-drive and drug-drive offences.

The Committee recommends the establishment of an independent Road Safety Commission with powers to work across the whole of government, ensuring that a high priority and adequate resources are given to road safety and that all government departments and agencies give active support.

The Government should also establish a road accident investigation branch, like those in aviation, rail, and marine.

Extent	411 pages	ISBN	9780215524034
Size	A4	Price	£33.80
Binding	Paperback	Published	29 Oct 2008
Availability	Colour copy: 3 - 5 days	Delivery	Delivery options and charges

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