A transport safety charity has called on all political parties to commit to an overhaul of road safety in the next Parliament, after the number of road deaths remained unchanged in statistical terms for five years.
The Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) said that to assist a future government it has published three papers that set out priorities and assess whether they are addressed in the current Government’s road safety strategy.
PACTS executive director David Davies said: ‘After a period in which road deaths fell rapidly, we have had a series of years of little or no change. The public want a future government to improve safety, on the major road network and in towns and villages.
‘They want an end to dangerous driver behaviour, and the freedom to walk and cycle without fear of death or serious injury. These three papers provide the evidence on how and why it should be done.’
He added: ‘We need to raise our ambitions in the UK and start planning for a road system which does not tolerate death and serious injury as a routine occurrence. This is how rail, shipping and aviation operate. It is also now the objective of Highways England, which runs the trunk road network.’
PACTS is calling on all political parties to commit to:
- A focus on safety for vulnerable road users
- Effective action to tackle inappropriate speed and drink-driving – to include more use of technology where police numbers are stretched
- Strong government support for the proposed changes to EU vehicle safety regulations
- A renewed partnership between local authorities and government to deliver effective casualty reduction measures
- The establishment of a UK road collision investigation body and an overhaul of how collision information is gathered and analysed
The three papers are part of PACTS’ UK Road safety – Seizing the Opportunities project. They are:
- Safer Road Users by Tanya Fosdick, Dan Campsall and Richard Owen at Road Safety Analysis Ltd
- Safer Roads by Tony Ciaburro and John Spencer
- Safer Vehicles by independent vehicle safety design expert Paul Fay
PACTS said an early General Election was not anticipated when the project was conceived but that it is ‘pleased to seize this opportunity’ to examine polices and affirm priorities.
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