Government unveils new measures to further improve road safety

The UK Department for Transport (DfT) has unveiled a raft of measures to improve the safety of Britain’s roads, including US$3 million for research into driver education, including the possibility of giving learner drivers motorway experience with an instructor before taking their test.
December 22, 2015 Read time: 2 mins

The UK 1837 Department for Transport (DfT) has unveiled a raft of measures to improve the safety of Britain’s roads, including US$3 million for research into driver education, including the possibility of giving learner drivers motorway experience with an instructor before taking their test.

Other measures include a US$968,000 grant for police forces in England and Wales will fund more officers with drug recognition and impairment testing skills to enable more effective and targeted enforcement.

A grant of US$74 million over the next four years will support Bikeability cycle training in schools, helping to increase children’s road awareness, encouraging children to be healthy and active.

The government will also consult on changes to improve cycle safety to ensure sideguards are not removed from HGVs but remain permanently fitted. Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) for learner motorcyclists will be strengthened and there will be a consultation on a range of further proposals to support safer motorcycling.

Motorists who endanger lives by using hand held mobile phones while driving will face an increase from the current three penalty points to 4, while the fixed penalty notice will rise from US$140 to US$223. For larger vehicles such as HGVs where the consequences of an accident can be much more severe, the penalty will increase from the current three points to six and the fixed penalty notice will rise from US$140 to US$223.

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: “Britain has some of the safest roads in the world but we are always looking to improve that record. Today we are delivering common sense proposals that balance tougher penalties for dangerous drivers with practical steps to help youngsters and other more vulnerable groups stay safe on our roads.”

The 6983 Freight Transport Association (FTA) has reacted positively to the proposals. Commenting on the statement, Christopher Snelling, FTA’s head of National & Regional Policy, commented: “Overall this appears to be a sensible range of measures that should further improve the UK’s comparatively good road safety record.”
 
Snelling concluded: “It is incremental improvements such as these, along with the hard work of road freight operators that have contributed to the fact that half as many HGVs are involved in fatal incidents today as compared with 10 years ago.”

A series of consultations on the specific proposals announced today will follow in 2016.

Urban Traffic Control

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Cycling in London grows by ten per cent
    February 2, 2015
    London’s cycling revolution accelerated last year, with 2014 seeing new records for usage of the capital’s cycle hire scheme and overall cycling on the Transport for London (TfL) road network. Across the TfL road network, London’s main roads, cycling levels in quarter 3 of 2014/15 (14 September to 6 December) were ten per cent higher than in the same quarter the previous year and the highest since records began in 2000. It was the fifth record quarter in a row. By the end of 2014/15, TfL forecasts a 12 p
    Read More
  • Support for speed cameras remains high – but some drivers need convincing
    October 29, 2015
    A national survey by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has shown that although most drivers support speed cameras there are big variations across the country – and Londoners and people in the north-east appear to show higher levels of resistance than most. The survey polled 1,000 drivers of all age groups across Britain and asked “It is now common for the authorities to use speed cameras at the side of the road to identify vehicles involved in speeding offences. How acceptable do you think this i
    Read More
  • UK well positioned to benefit from autonomous lorries, says Inrix
    September 24, 2018
    Driver shortage, commercially-viable roads and Brexit uncertainty position the UK to develop and benefit from autonomous freighting, says Inrix. The analytics company's latest report has identified the A1 from Sheffield to Edinburgh as the most suitable corridor for testing highly automated vehicles (HAV). The Inrix Automated Freight Corridor Assessment reveals the next best-suited corridor is the M5/A38 from Plymouth to Birmingham, followed by the M4 from Swindon to Swansea.
    Read More
  • Foreign hauliers to pay HGV levy to use UK roads
    April 1, 2014
    Foreign hauliers will be charged to use UK roads for the first time from today, 1 April 2014 transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin has announced. UK truck drivers working in Europe currently pay tolls and levies when delivering goods abroad, but foreign trucks operating in the UK have not been required to make a similar payment. The HGV road user levy, which is being brought in nearly a year ahead of schedule, introduces a charge that ensures British hauliers are better able to compete with their for
    Read More

Highlighted Content