🚗 Road Safety

• Current State of Road Safety: The UK’s current approach to road safety needs a significant overhaul, as progress in reducing road deaths has plateaued. Over 500,000 people have died on UK roads since records began in 1926, surpassing the number of UK citizens killed in conflicts during the same period.

• Local Challenges: In Rossendale and Darwen, constituents are particularly concerned about speeding and issues with large commercial vehicles. A roads and residential areas along these routes experience frequent close calls and accidents, causing fear among residents.

• Community Involvement: There is a strong call for more community involvement in road safety. Communities feel their local knowledge and experiences are often ignored, and actions are only taken after accidents have occurred, not proactively to prevent them.

• Vision Zero and Proactive Measures: Many local authorities have adopted the “Vision Zero” strategy aimed at eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries, but the implementation lacks the necessary proactive measures. The Netherlands is cited as an example where algorithms and community input effectively identify and mitigate high-risk areas.

• Speeding and Enforcement: Speeding is a major issue, particularly in areas with schools. There’s a push for more effective speed reduction measures, such as average speed cameras, which have proven to significantly reduce accidents and save costs in the long term.

• Commercial Vehicles and Safety: Large commercial vehicles pose a significant risk, especially near schools. There is a call for tighter regulations and corporate accountability for the safety standards of commercial fleets.

• Infrastructure and Safe System Approach: The design of roads and pavements often fails to protect vulnerable road users like pedestrians and cyclists. There’s a need for a safe system approach to improve infrastructure, such as clearer cycle lanes and safer crossing points.

• Funding Models: The current funding for road safety is inadequate, and there’s a suggestion to revisit past systems like “netting off” fines to fund enforcement and safety improvements.

• Young Drivers: Young drivers, especially in rural areas, are at a higher risk of accidents. There’s a need for better education and safety measures tailored to this group, along with improving public transport options to reduce reliance on driving.

• Government Response: The Minister emphasized the government’s commitment to improving road safety, mentioning an upcoming road safety strategy. This strategy will focus on shared responsibility, evidence-based interventions, and enforcement to address the rising number of fatalities and injuries on the roads.

The transcript of the parliamentary session on road safety shows a high level of consensus and agreement among the participants. The main speaker, Andy MacNae, and other Members of Parliament express similar concerns and support for proactive, community-led road safety measures. There are multiple instances where MPs agree and reinforce each other’s points, such as the need for better community involvement, the effectiveness of average speed cameras, and the necessity for a preventive approach to road safety. Interventions from other MPs, such as Jim Shannon, Samantha Niblett, and Rachel Taylor, all express agreement and support for MacNae’s views. There is no significant opposition or disagreement noted throughout the session. The Minister’s response also aligns with the concerns raised, acknowledging the need for a new road safety strategy and expressing a commitment to addressing the issues discussed. Consequently, the session merits a rating of 1 for disagreement, indicating very minimal to no disagreement.