Use of the roads, whether for business or private purposes, whether on wheels or on foot, is an integral part of our daily life. Careful and considerate use of the roads has a direct impact on the safety and well-being of us all. The road safety strategy set out by the government in “Tomorrow’s Roads - safer for everyone” (referred to below as the Road Safety Strategy) identified a series of objectives which could make the roads safer for all users. Achieving these objectives will require the partnership of (i) The government, its agencies and the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales (Northern Ireland will have its own road safety strategy); (ii) Local authorities; (iii) Police forces; (iv) Voluntary groups and road user associations; (v) Motor manufacturers; and, above all (vi) Individual road users - drivers, motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians.The Road Safety Strategy explains how that programme of work would integrate with other key policies to contribute to the well-being of us all, including people such as the elderly and the young who may be especially vulnerable on our roads, but who are no less entitled to use them. Safer roads, considerate driving and free flowing traffic contribute to an improved environment, cleaner air and better health. The proposals set out within this paper will work towards reaching the new 10 year target of increasing road safety as outlined within the Road Safety Strategy. In comparison with the averages for 1994-98, it aims to achieve a; 40% reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured, 50% reduction in the number of children killed or seriously injured and a 10% reduction in the slight casualty rate. By introducing higher penalties for various driving offences and other provisions being made available, such as requirements for drivers to retrain or requalify, the aim is to increase the general level of safety of drivers which will in turn lead to fewer accidents occurring on the road. It is important to note that against a background of over 30 million drivers holding full licenses, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency are notified of 1.8 million endorsements in any one year. Some 95 per cent of motorists, therefore, get through the year without committing an endorsable offence. This goes a long way in showing how the average motorist does have a generally responsible attitude towards safety on our roads. Improving upon this is the key reason for implementing the Road Safety Strategy. To achieve the implementation of the strategy, 10 main themes were identified: (i) Safer for children; (ii) Safer drivers - training and testing; (iii) Safer drivers - drink, drugs and drowsiness; (iv) Safer infrastructure; (v) Safer speeds; (vi) Safer vehicles; (vii) Safer motorcycling; (viii) Safer pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders; (ix) Better enforcement; and (x) Promoting safer road use. One strand of the strategy is better enforcement. Enforcement, however, comprises a wide range of responsibilities among different people and bodies. This paper is principally concerned with the framework of sanctions which contributes to that enforcement effort. For a wider discussion of enforcement see the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) Report and the Government response to it. The need for enforcement through the courts can be reduced by effective training and testing, and by “social enforcement”. This means not only raising public awareness of the effect which the taking of drink or drugs can have on driving ability, but also changes in public attitudes. The behaviour of drivers and other road users can be altered by decisions on the part of drivers themselves, and by those around them, their families, their friends, and other road users. But the structure of road traffic penalties also has a part to play by signalling what is dangerous, providing incentives for improvement, and by generally encouraging consideration for other road users. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting