UK to introduce tough road laws

The Herald, 9 February, 1989

THE British government, unveiled proposed new driving laws on Tuesday aimed at reducing the 5 000 deaths and more than 300 000 injuries a year on roads.

Dangerous driving and drunk driving were the main targets, Transport Secretary Paul Channon told the House of Commons.

“We are committed to cut road casualties, especially those killed or seriously injured, by one-third by the end of the century,” Mr Channon said in presenting a White Paper policy document outlining proposed legislation. It should become law by early 1990.

“The country now has the best road safety record in Europe. But there is still a long way to go,” Mr Channon said.

He said the latest annual figures for 1987 showed 64 000 of those hurt were seriously injured and the rest were slightly hurt.

The total economic cost of all injury accidents was estimated at nearly £4 billion while another £1,5 million damage-only accidents cost a further £1,5 billion, Mr Channon said.

Drivers were escaping conviction for reckless driving because the law focused on the driver’s state of mind rather than his driving, he said.

So a new offence of dangerous driving “based more firmly on the observable standard of driving” would be introduced, Mr Channon said.

The maximum penalty for drunk driving would be five years’ imprisonment, loss of driving licence for at least two years and an unlimited fine, and courts could order offenders to attend rehabilitation courses, he said. – Ziana-AP. 

LESSONS FOR TODAY 

Road carnage is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, with statistics showing that one person dies in a road accident in every 24 seconds, which translates to 1,35 million people per year. Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death among young people aged 15 to 29 years.

Stringent driving laws are necessary to curb road accidents coupled with tight monitoring and enforcement. 

The Government has in recent months taken steps to curb speeding by public vehicles especially buses following numerous accidents involving public transporters and haulage trucks.