HL Deb 27 June 2000 vol 614 cc757-9

Lord Montagu of Beaulieu asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they consider that, if lessons on vehicle driving and roadcraft were included in the appropriate schools curricula, it would improve driving skills for the young and reduce accidents.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Lord Whitty)

My Lords, the Government's road safety strategy reflects the need to cut child road casualties by 50 per cent. and to address the problems of novice drivers. In the school curriculum, the personal, social and health education framework includes road safety and responsibility as road users. We are doubling the number of visits to schools and colleges by driving examiners to deliver messages about responsible attitudes to driving and we are encouraging higher driving standards, with improved arrangements for learning to drive and assessing hazard awareness in the theory test.

Lord Montagu of Beaulieu

My Lords, I thank the Minister for that reply. In view of the great success of such schemes in the United States, will he initiate discussions with driving schools about establishing pilot schemes to assess their feasibility in this country? Does the Minister also agree that good tuition could not only reduce casualties, but reduce the truancy rate in schools?

Lord Whitty

My Lords, I understand that that approach may have its attractions and its byproducts, but adopting driving lessons in schools, on school premises or arranged by schools for people who are under the driving age, is a serious issue. Some of the evidence from America suggests that that leads to increased illegal under-age driving on the roads. The problem with young drivers is not so much their technical skill as their attitude. Improving their technical skill would not necessarily improve their performance on the road and prevent casualties.

Lord Davies of Oldham

My Lords, I declare an interest as the president of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. Does my noble friend the Minister agree that, welcome though improving driving skills might be, given our appalling record on accidents involving children, which is one of the worst in Europe, it is much more important that the school curriculum addresses the broad issues of road safety? Children are more likely to be injured as pedestrians or cyclists rather than subsequently as car drivers.

Lord Whitty

My Lords, my noble friend is correct. Despite our generally good road safety record, we fare much worse than most European countries on child pedestrian casualties. It is important that the totality of road safety attitudes is inculcated in schools, rather than emphasising the pre-driving stage. Nevertheless, it is important that pupils understand what driving is about. That is why we encourage driving examiners and others to go into schools to give lectures and information, under the auspices of the Driving Standards Agency.

Lord Harrison

My Lords, will the Government also take note of the problem of the exorbitant insurance premiums placed on young people—typically £1,000 a year? That is an impediment to our young men and women who want to learn to drive and acquire roadcraft skills.

Lord Whitty

My Lords, I suspect that, regrettably, insurance company premiums for young drivers reflect knowledge and experience of the level of accidents and damage to vehicles and people when young drivers are involved. I am not sure that it is appropriate for the Government to intervene on that subject. There are other ways of improving the performance of novice drivers.

Baroness Thomas of Walliswood

My Lords, there are many suggestions around for improving the safety of our roads, ranging from teaching young children to behave better and to understand road safety through to reducing the speed at which people travel. We all have our favourites. Has any research been done on which are the most effective methods of reducing road accidents?

Lord Whitty

My Lords, there is a large body of road safety research, much of it funded by my department, as well as some international research. It shows that all the factors involved contribute—attitude, speed, road environment, density of traffic and the skill and behaviour of drivers. There is an indication of the relative importance of each factor, but to have a coherent road safety strategy we must address them all, as the Government's recently published road safety strategy does.

Baroness Blotch

My Lords, does the Minister accept that more could be done to encourage some schools that do not allow police officers on to the premises to carry out important crime prevention and road safety work? That situation is unfortunate. A school in Liverpool that I visited uses building a car engine and driving the car as a way of improving science and technology education and helping its young people to be safer than most, particularly those who do not enjoy secure home backgrounds.

Lord Whitty

My Lords, I am aware that a number of schools have engaged in engine maintenance and a policy generally of introducing children of 14 onwards to car technology and driving. In Northern Ireland, there is a GCSE based on road safety that includes such factors. That has proved of some benefit to pupils who take it, particularly those who come from a more deprived background. Police visits to schools with a road safety message are beneficial. I hope that schools take up that idea and that police authorities continue to provide it. The decision on the curriculum in this respect is a matter for the schools rather than the Government.

Back to