Safety scheme welcomed

The Department for Transport’s (DfT) speed limit plans have been welcomed by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.

Kevin Clinton, head of road safety for the body, said that the measures are "ambitious" and he is "delighted" that strategies to reduce the number of deaths related to driving are being put in place.

The number of people killed on British roads is at its lowest since records began, but the governemnt has ambitious new plans to cut the total by a third to below 2,000.

The document, ‘A Safer Way: Consultation on Making Britain’s Roads the Safest in the World’, was published yesterday and includes a planned reduction of the speed limit on many A-roads to 50mph and 20mph in residential streets and outside schools.

10-year road safety plans

• Speed limits reduced - many A-roads 50mph, residential areas 20mph.
• Speed cameras - new cameras that detect average speed to cover all exit and entry points to residential areas.
• Fixed penalties - 6 points for driving 15mph over the speed limit, offences that are currently regarded by the police as relatively minor, such as passing too close to a cyclist when overtaking, could result in a £60 fine and three penalty points.
• Drink driving - Police will be able to stop and breath-test a driver at random.
• Driving test - become tougher, with candidates required to follow road signs to a destination rather than take directions from the examiner.

Young drivers to be targeted

Specific targets could be introduced for different users and modes of transport. These would take into account the fact the youngest male drivers are almost ten times more likely to be killed or seriously injured than those of middle age and that the absolute number of people killed can rise at the same time as the death rate per mile falls.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has reported that the recession may result in the safer vehicle technology currently installed in new vehicles taking longer to trickle down to other vehicles, as fleets keep vehicles longer.

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