Previous Page
Better enforcement and education to cut road deaths
Transport Secretary Philip Hammond has set out plans to improve road safety education while taking tough action against the small minority of dangerous drivers.
Careless driving will be made a fixed penalty offence to allow the police more effectively to tackle reckless driving that puts other road users in danger, while disqualified drivers face having to take a new test before regaining their licence.
There will also be more educational courses that can be offered in place of a fixed penalty and points in appropriate cases as well as a new post-test qualification for novice drivers, under plans set out in the new Strategic Framework for Road Safety.
Philip Hammond said:
"This report marks a sea change in how we tackle road safety in this country. We are determined to differentiate between wilfully reckless drivers and the law abiding majority who sometimes make honest mistakes, or who have allowed their skills to deteriorate.
"We will focus relentlessly on cracking down on the really reckless few who are responsible for a disproportionately large number of accidents and deaths on our roads."
The new Strategic Framework for Road Safety includes plans to:
- make careless driving a fixed penalty offence to allow the police more effectively to tackle reckless driving that puts other road users in danger
- require offenders to pass a test before they regain their licence after a serious disqualification
- increase the use of police-approved educational courses that can be offered in place of fixed penalty notices to encourage safer driving behaviour
- launch a new post-test qualifi cation for new drivers to replace the current Pass Plus scheme
- create a new website to allow local people to easily compare the road safety performance of their local area against similar areas
- launch an annual road safety day