The UK government is proposing the biggest road safety shake-up in a generation as part of an effort to cut road deaths by at least 65% by 2035.
Called the Road Safety Strategy, Labour’s plans include new measures such as cognitive and sight tests for the elderly, minimum hour rules for learner drivers and the lowering of drink driving limits – which have remained unchanged since 1967.
The documents – being released on Wednesday morning but seen by Autocar on Tuesday – are broken up into five separate consultations that cover everything from speed limits and driving offences and even what safety technology must legally be fitted to new vehicles.
“Every life lost on our roads is a tragedy that devastates families and communities,” said transport secretary Heidi Alexander. “For too long, progress on road safety has stalled. This strategy marks a turning point.
“We are taking decisive action to make our roads safer for everyone, from new drivers taking their first lessons to older motorists wanting to maintain their independence.
“The measures we are announcing today will save thousands of lives over the coming decade.”
Drink driving
Chief among the proposed initiatives in the government’s strategy to cut road deaths is a revamp of the UK’s drink driving rules.
Official figures that show a sixth of road fatalities in 2023 involved drink driving.
The legal limit for alcohol in drivers is currently higher in Wales and England than anywhere else in Europe, a threshold of 80mg per 100ml of blood having been set in 1967 and unchanged since.
The Department for Transport (DfT) will now consult on lowering the limit.
Its target, the documents show, is Scotland’s stricter cap of 50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. For newly qualified drivers the cap would be 0mg, but how such a driver is defined hasn’t yet been confirmed.
Currently, the possible penalties for “being in charge of a vehicle while over the limit” include three months imprisonment, a driving ban and a fine of up to £2500. Actually driving or attempting to drive while over the limit can double that jail time, and there is no limit on the fine imposed.
Also on the cards in the DfT’s consultation is the use of new “preventative technology” to stop drink driving, which includes alcohol interlocks to stop a vehicle starting if the driver is over the limit.
Some convicted drink drivers could be required to have such a device fitted to their car before being allowed back on the road. This tactic is currently used in some European countries.
In a survey late last year, the RAC found that 82% of drivers supported the roll-out of tougher drink driving measures, after government figures showed that road deaths due to alcohol had risen 7% over the previous decade.
The government will explore the possibility of giving authorities “new powers to suspend driving licences for those suspected of drink or drug driving offences”. The documents suggest these could include licence suspensions prior to a court trial.
Courts could also be given more power over how evidence is collected for drug drivers. Currently, those found over the limit via a saliva test at the roadside must be taken to a police station to undergo a blood test – but this can be found to sometimes be ineffective, due to inability to retrieve a blood sample or issues with lab backlogs. Instead, officers would be allowed to submit the initial saliva test in evidence or carry out a second saliva test instead of a blood test.
Learner drivers and education
The government is mulling measures to address the standard of driving by both young and old drivers.
For those aged between 17 and 24, a group that comprises 24% of all road deaths and serious collisions, it will consult on a mandatory three- or six-month learning period before a driver is allowed to undertake their driving test.
This is intended to help novices gain experience in a range of conditions, such as in wet or cold weather and at night.
Such a period is effectively already in force, owing to long waits for driving test slots in much of the nation. The average backlog for a practical test across Britain currently stands at 22 weeks.
However, the AA has told Autocar that a long-called-for policy to prevent new drivers from driving with a passenger, possibly for six months, “is a missed opportunity to save more lives”.
What’s more, the government wants to continue a driver’s education throughout their lifetime – and the proposals suggest they could bring this learning into the national curriculum as early as primary school.
The government also wants to bring in a so-called National Work-Related Road Safety Charter. Covering those who ride bicycles to those who drive HGVs, it would “reduce work-related road risk by promoting good practice, accountability and compliance with existing legislation”. This is expected to take the form of some kind of formal education, most likely an online course.
Elderly drivers
Drivers over 70, who also comprise almost a quarter of the nation’s road deaths, could face a mandatory eye test every three years.
This marks a move away from the previous system, whereby drivers were asked to report themselves for a loss of vision – something disincentivised by the loss of personal freedom that could come as a result.
The government is also seeking guidance through the proposals on whether a cognitive test – which would assess mental skills like attention, memory and problem-solving – should also be implemented for older road users.
Harsher punishments
The government also wants to increase the punishments for those who break some of the most common road laws.
For example, those caught not wearing a seatbelt would be hit with penalty points as well as a fine. Currently just a £100 fine is given.
What’s more, points would also be given to the driver for those within the car not wearing a seatbelt, meaning that a driver could effectively be banned if all passengers are unbelted.
Those who drive uninsured are also being targeted by the proposals. Currently those caught are given a three points and a £300 fine – but under the proposals, this would be doubled.
Penalties could also be brought in for those who make and use so-called ghost numberplates – designed to be invisible or unreadable to speed cameras.
Speed limits
The documents include a proposal for local governments to be given more power to lower speed limits in their jurisdictions.
Currently, evidence is needed as to why a limit should be reduced, normally resulting from a serious injury or a death occurring. But if the new laws come into force, councils could drop speed limits more easily.
The same red tape would be removed around the installation of cameras that spot drivers who jump red lights.
Future proofing
As part of the proposals, the government wants to create a new body named the Road Safety Investigations Branch. This would identify and analyse the key causes of collisions on UK roads and “inform prevention strategies”.
While the proposal is quite vague, the government suggested the findings from the new body would influence road designs, enforcement, education work and vehicle safety.
On the latter, the government wants to adopt the European Union’s much-bemoaned GSR2 laws, which mandate that a certain number of specific safety tech is fitted to a car, such as autonomous emergency braking and lane keeping assistance.
