Road safety experts have warned MPs that the Government could fail to hit its targets for cutting deaths and serious injuries on UK roads unless tougher action is taken on speed limits and young drivers.
Speaking to the Commons Transport Select Committee, campaigners and safety groups said the new road safety strategy was the strongest seen in 15 years but warned it may not go far enough.
Ross Moorlock, chief executive of the road safety charity Brake, said there was concern across the sector that the current plans “will fall short of reaching those targets”.
Jamie Hassall, executive director of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety, told MPs the Government would need yearly reductions of around nine per cent in deaths and serious injuries to meet its goals.
One of the biggest demands from witnesses was for 20mph speed limits to become the default in built-up areas across England.
Experts argued the current system leaves local councils carrying the cost of introducing lower speed limits, road by road.
Mr Hassall said: “A much cheaper way is to mandate the roads as 20mph and let the local authority, if they want to move it up, give them that ability. Rather than making lowering speed limits the expensive option.”
Wales introduced 20mph limits in residential areas in 2023, with early figures showing an 11.8 per cent drop in casualties overall, and a 26.6 per cent fall on roads where limits were reduced from 30mph.
The road safety experts have urged the Government to introduce Graduated Driving Licences
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Steve Cole, from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said the Welsh changes showed that “population level interventions do work”, although he added they required strong public information campaigns.
Mr Hassall also told MPs that drivers aged under 25 make up only six per cent of licence holders but account for almost a quarter of people killed or seriously injured on the roads.
Mr Moorlock added that many victims in crashes involving young drivers are not the motorists themselves.
As part of the new Road Safety Strategy, unveiled this year, the Government is currently considering new rules that would require learner drivers to spend at least three or six months learning before taking their test.
MPs have called for more 20mph speed limit areas to be introduced to help prevent road fatalities
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PAThe road experts argued the move does not go far enough, with Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, calling for a Graduated Driving Licence system to be introduced.
The scheme would mimic similar ones used abroad, and most recently in Northern Ireland, where the Department for Infrastructure announced it would launch Graduated Driving Licences on October 1, 2026.
It would see young people complete six months of supervised learning before facing another six months of restrictions on carrying passengers, before being able to drive normally.
Nicholas Lyes, from IAM RoadSmart, who backed the driving restrictions, stated that many learners currently pass their test without practicing driving at night.
The DVSA continues to introduce new rules to help learner drivers when booking tests | PA
Campaigners argued this could become one of the most important parts of the Government’s strategy and cut road deaths.
Experts also criticised ministers for launching fresh consultations on measures which have already been debated for years.
Mr Cole warned that some issues, including speed limits and eyesight testing, had become politically sensitive and contribute to “culture wars”.
Mr Moorlock urged ministers to take stronger action, saying: “Road crashes are not inevitable, they are preventable.”