§ Mr. CallaghanTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures he is taking to improve road safety.
§ Mr. KeyThe Government have a target to reduce road casualties by one-third by the year 2000 taking the average for 1981–85 as the baseline. Our programme for achieving this was set out at length during the debate which took place on 15 May 1992. It includes a continuing programme of publicity campaigns aimed particularly at reducing the amount of drinking and driving and reducing speed in urban areas, the provision of grant to local authorities in support of highway engineering for road safety, continued negotiation of improved vehicle standards and measures to facilitate the enforcement of road traffic law.
In the last year we have published a new "Highway Code" and a policy document on speed. The Road Traffic Act 1991 has been commenced and a major experiment established into the rehabilitation of drink-drive offenders. A record £50 million of transport supplementary grant has been allocated to local safety schemes and more than fifty 20 mph zones have now been approved.
Provisional statistics for 1992 show that fatalities are 24 per cent. below the 1981–85 baseline and that the one-third reduction target has already been achieved for serious injuries, despite a 38 per cent. increase in traffic.