HL Deb 28 June 2004 vol 663 cc1-4

2.48 p.m.

Lord Bradshaw

asked Her Majesty's Government

What progress they are making in respect of the 10-year plan in reducing road fatalities.

Lord Davies of Oldham

My Lords, statistics bulletin Road Casualties Great Britain 2003: Main Results, published by the Department for Transport last Thursday, indicates that we are more than half way towards delivering the national target, set in the road safety strategy in 2000, of a 40 per cent reduction in road deaths and serious injuries by 2010.

However, the number of road fatalities has levelled off, as we noted in our first review of the road safety strategy. This is a complex issue, which is receiving in-depth analysis and special focus as we develop the strategy further.

Lord Bradshaw

My Lords, I thank the Minister for that Answer. I noticed that he focused his attention on road deaths rather than on road deaths and serious injuries. They are usually considered together. Since 1998, there has been no reduction in the number of road deaths and therefore the achievement of a 10-year target will be difficult. While I note that a special study is taking place, it is time that we brought forward a special strategy for reducing the number of road deaths. Will we see such a strategy and a new road safety drive as a result?

Lord Davies of Oldham

My Lords, I agree with the noble Lord that there are areas of real concern, not least the feature that the decline in road deaths has levelled out. We are concerned that some of them can be attributed to special groups of road users, the outstanding one for increasing road deaths being motorcyclists. The overall position with regard to our strategy is encouraging and we are making good progress towards the target for 2010, but I agree with the noble Lord that we need to look again at specific aspects of it.

Baroness Whitaker

My Lords, can my noble friend confirm that the number of road deaths among adults in this country is nevertheless among the lowest in Europe?

Lord Davies of Oldham

My Lords, it is indeed, and we should congratulate our community on that fact. We have the safest roads in Europe, but that does not alter the fact that there are areas where we could make a real improvement. One significant point is that our record on deaths and serious injuries among children is not good in comparison with that in other parts of Europe.

Baroness Oppenheim-Barnes

My Lords, can the Minister say what investigations have taken place into why there is such a high percentage of motorcyclists among the fatalities? What steps are being taken to consult insurance companies about their position in insuring motorcyclists who have been involved in a number of accidents?

Lord Davies of Oldham

My Lords, the increase in the number of deaths among motorcyclists is substantially a reflection of the fact that more motorcyclists are on the roads. Ownership of motorcycles has increased significantly, as has the percentage of very powerful machines. Many very serious injuries are often incurred by mature men riding very powerful machines, and the insurance industry is taking due note of that statistic.

Baroness Thomas of Walliswood

My Lords, the Minister was talking about the increase in the number of motorcyclists. First, can he tell me whether the increase in the number of accidents is low or high in comparison with the increased number of motorcyclists, and, secondly, can he tell us anything about injuries to older people, particularly pedestrians?

Lord Davies of Oldham

My Lords, with regard to the noble Baroness's first question concerning motorcyclists, as I indicated, there has been a substantial increase in the number of powerful motorcycles purchased by an increasingly wealthy population. That increase has occurred predominantly among more mature men, and the very high, and alarming, statistic of the increase in road deaths relates to that group. I have no specific figure for the number of accidents among the older population, but I can make the general point that the number of road deaths among car occupants is in decline. Steps are being taken to make cars safer for their occupants—and, more importantly, for the elderly population and pedestrians—by reducing, through better technology, the impact that cars have on pedestrians.

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff

My Lords, is the Minister able to tell us what has happened to cyclists and, in particular, what impact the wearing of cycle helmets has had on the number of deaths among cyclists involved in road accidents?

Lord Davies of Oldham

My Lords, I cannot isolate specifically the statistics relating to the wearing of helmets but I can report to the House that the statistic on serious injuries and deaths among cyclists is encouraging. It is in sharp contrast to what I identified as our most worrying statistic, which relates to motorcyclists.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

My Lords, surely the evidence from Australia shows that if the wearing of cycle helmets is made compulsory, there is a reduction in the use of cycles by bicyclists and there also seems to be an adverse effect on car drivers, who go faster in those circumstances. Will my noble friend assure me that he will look into that research carefully before the Government give any support to the compulsory wearing of cycle helmets?

Lord Davies of Oldham

My Lords, as I indicated, we keep the overall strategic position under constant review, particularly when significant changes take place in the statistics. I recognise the point that my noble friend made about the compulsory wearing of helmets, but that is not contemplated at present.

Lord Rotherwick

My Lords, the incidence of drink driving and motorcycle fatalities has been increasing while, in recent years, the number of road traffic officers has reduced by about 12 per cent. Is it not about time that we had those road traffic officers back in order to stop the figures increasing?

Lord Davies of Oldham

My Lords, we certainly need to control drink-driving offences, although there has not been a very large increase in such incidents. Safety on the roads has also suffered a major onslaught from the breaking of speed limits. In that area, it is clear that there has been a happy correlation between increased enforcement and the reduction in the number of accidents.

Lord Avebury

My Lords, in what proportion of road deaths is alcohol a factor, and why have the Government rejected the advice of the BMA to reduce the blood-alcohol limit from 80 to 50 milligrams?

Lord Davies of Oldham

My Lords, at present, drink-driving seems to be under control. However, the figures are not good enough, and we have clear targets in place to reduce the overall number of accidents by 2010. But at present there is no indication that we would improve the statistics in that regard by reducing the blood-alcohol limit.