DEPARTMENT FOR
TRANSPORT News Release (177) issued by COI News Distribution
Service. 20 November 2008
A crackdown on the
menace of reckless driving was announced by Road Safety Minister
Jim Fitzpatrick today as he unveiled a range of new proposals to
tackle drink and drug drivers and other dangers on Britain's roads.
A major new road safety consultation sets out plans to help the
police better enforce against drug and drink driving, as well as
exploring whether there is a need to change the law on drug
driving or on the drink drive limit.
It also examines the need to toughen penalties and make it easier
for police to tackle other forms of reckless driving to cut the
toll of nearly 3,000 road deaths a year.
Jim Fitzpatrick said:
"Britain has one of the best road safety records in the
world and the number of people killed or hurt has fallen
dramatically in the last decade. But too many people are still
dying on our roads.
"To tackle this we must crack down on the most dangerous
drivers - the selfish minority whose reckless behaviour can have a
catastrophic impact on innocent victims and their families. But I
am also clear we must ensure balance and not impact unnecessarily
on the majority of motorists who drive safely.
"The consultation I am launching today will send a very
clear message to the dangerous minority that if they ignore the
rules of the road, they will be caught, and they will be punished
in a way that fits the crime."
The consultation includes proposals on a range of issues.
* 1 in 5 drivers killed in road accidents may have an impairing
drug in their system, according to independent research.
Therefore, we will explore whether a new offence should be created
to bring drug driving more into line with drink driving, by making
it illegal to drive after taking a drug which is both illegal and
impairing. We are also planning a major new publicity campaign on
drug driving and are proposing to help the police better enforce
the current drug driving law through improved training and equipment.
* On drink driving,
* we plan to remove an outdated option
for drivers caught moderately above the drink drive limit to
request a second test by a doctor and potentially fall back under
the limit while waiting for them to arrive. Today's more
accurate breath testing equipment makes this no longer
necessary.
* To improve enforcement we are also providing £2
million to fund the introduction of new digital breath testing
equipment, to help free up police resources, as well as helping
the police introduce targeted drink drive checkpoints to
strengthen deterrence.
* We are also seeking views and
evidence on the question of reducing the legal alcohol limit, on
which we have a completely open mind.
* We are proposing to make careless driving a fixed penalty
offence, which will enable the police to enforce against careless
drivers who admit fault with a minimum of bureaucracy, freeing up
police resources. The fixed penalty would be a £60 fine and 3
penalty points.
* On speeding, we propose to introduce a higher fixed penalty of
6 penalty points for drivers who exceed the speed limit by a
dangerous, and very large margin - 20mph or more above most speed
limits - because research suggests this will be a strong
deterrent. Speed kills - it is a factor in 29% of fatal accidents
- and extreme speeders are more likely to be involved in an
accident, with more severe consequences when they are. We do not
propose to change the level of fines.
* We are proposing a major review of remedial training and
testing schemes to ensure consistency and common standards.
Notes to Editors
The Road Safety Compliance consultation is
launched today and available at: http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/open/compliance/.
The final date for responses is 27th February 2009.
Several independent research reports are also published today on
the Department for Transport website at: http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/research/rsrr/.
Public Enquiries: 020 7944 8300
Department for Transport
Website: http://www.dft.gov.uk