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National cyclists’ organisation CTC has welcomed proposals to give dangerous drivers on-the-spot fines, revealed this week by Tranport Secretary Philip Hammond.
The measures include new indicators for road safety and a new Strategic Framework for Road Safety, but the CTC has warned that the new policies are unlikely to succeed in curbing dangerous driving unless more traffic police appear on the roads.
“A careless driving fixed penalty notice is welcome, but should only be used where no injury has occurred and the driving is demonstrably careless, not dangerous," commented Roger Geffen, CTC’s campaigns and policy director. "We have concerns that too often driving which is objectively dangerous is treated by police and prosecutors as merely ‘careless’.”
“The Government needs to make a full assessment of how the system of road traffic law is operating. Too often bad driving – even where a death occurs – is going unpunished.”
The CTC’s ‘Safety in Number’s campaign made the case for road safety tagerts based on the rate per mile travelled, not just on injury numbers. The CTC welcomes that the Stategic Framework for Road Safety has adopted that position, and that indicators of perception of danger when walking and cycling is being taken into account.
The organisation has reserved some criticism for the proposals – largely centring around speed limites. New guidance on 20mph limits is promised is promised and the CTC is planning to back local authority power to impose the lower limits in urban areas.
