HC Deb 17 December 1987 vol 124 cc748-50W
Sir Anthony Grant

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the names of the members of the Road Traffic Law Review and their terms of reference.

Mr. Peter Bottomley

The members are:

  • Dr. Peter North (Chairman)—Principal, Jesus College, Oxford
  • Professor Richard Alsop — Professor of Transport Studies, University College, London
  • G. L. Angel—Home Office
  • S. Davidson—Home Office
  • D. M. Smith—Department of Transport
  • T. W. Hall—Lately Department of Transport.

Their terms of reference are: To consider what improvements might be made to the following aspects of road traffic law, particularly in respect of simplification, effectiveness and acceptability, taking account of their relationship with other aspects of road traffic law:

  1. (a) the structure of and penalties for the offences in sections 1–3 of the Road Traffic Act 1972: causing death by reckless driving; reckless driving, and careless driving;
  2. (b) whether the present penalty points system needs any amendment and, in particular, whether offences which are endorsable with penalty points can be divided into "points" and "no points" offences;
  3. (c) the structure of and penalties for offences relating to:
    1. (i) driver licensing,
      2. 749
    2. (ii) construction and use and
    3. (iii) failure to comply with traffic signs;
  4. (d) whether new types of penalty for traffic offences would be appropriate in place of or in addition to existing types of penalty, in particular the possible wider application of statutory driving tests for certain types of offences or in certain circumstances.

In August 1986 the terms of reference were extended to include consideration of: (e) whether vehicle removal, impounding and wheel clamping would be appropriate, effective and acceptable means of dealing with a wider range of offences involving vehicles.