I hear all too often from constituents who have witnessed accidents or near misses on our roads, and crashes are regularly top of the headlines in our local news.
So, I’m really pleased that the Government has launched the Road Safety Strategy, the first plan in over a decade aimed at making our roads safer for everyone.
Last year, on average, four people died on England’s roads every day. Thousands more were seriously injured. Each of these tragedies could have been prevented.
That’s why the Government has announced reforms that will make use of new technologies, improve infrastructure, better understand the root causes of collisions and make sure enforcement keeps pace with modern risks.
New vehicles will have to be built with cutting-edge safety technology included. Tougher action on drink and drug driving will come alongside a consultation on lowering the drink-driving limit. Driver training and testing will be improved, speed limit guidance will be updated and investments will be made in safer road design. A new Road Safety Investigation Branch will also be established so we can learn from accidents and stop the same thing happening again.
These reforms will save lives, protect vulnerable road users, and ensure the high standards of safety that we should all be able to expect.
