§ Mrs. BrintonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what research his Department has(a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the effects of replacing the charge of reckless driving with that of dangerous driving in terms of improving the safety of vulnerable road users. [53304]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonWe commissioned the Transport Research Laboratory, on 1 May 1998, to study the effect of the Road Traffic Act 1991 on prosecutions for dangerous driving.
The study will examine whether there is sufficiently clear guidance on the law and its purpose, and how this affects the choice of penalty. The study will include a comparison of sentencing trends before and since the 1991 Act and will assess how the changes in the definition of "bad driving" offences have been implemented by police and courts.
We shall try to gain an understanding of what leads prosecutors and courts to select one offence or one penalty rather than another. We hope that, by examining the whole procedure from charging to sentencing, we shall be able to identify ways of improving practice, so as to deter poor driving more effectively. We expect to complete this study by October 2000.
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