UK Road Safety Strategy
UK Road Safety Strategy
Much of the legislation that relates to road safety is reserved to the UK Government. For example, signage and engineering measures, such as speed humps, are regulated by the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002. More generally, the Road Traffic Act 1988 regulates a number of road safety related duties at a local level.
The UK Government's approach to continuing casualty reduction on Britain's roads is set out in its Strategic Framework, published in 2011. The focus is on increasing the range of educational options for drivers who make genuine mistakes and can be helped to improve while, at the same time, improving enforcement against the most dangerous and deliberate offenders. There are no UK-wide casualty reduction targets.
UK Regulatory and Legislative Activity
DfT Circular Notice 1/2013 - "Setting Local Speed Limits"
The Department of Transport (DfT) Circular 01/2013, "Setting Local Speed Limits" which was issued on 18 January 2013 applies to England only. We have considered its content and are now working with the Society of Chief Officers for Transportation in Scotland (SCOTS) to develop guidance for Scottish local authorities on implementing 20 mph limits and zones on local roads. This is discussed further on page 9 under "20 MPH Zones and Limits".
Useful Links:
20 MPH Zones and Limits
Drug-Driving
The Crime and Courts Act 2013 provided for a new offence of driving, attempting to drive or being in charge of a motor vehicle with a specified controlled drug in the body above the level specified for that drug. The 2013 Act includes a power for the UK Government in relation to England and Wales, and the Scottish Government in relation to Scotland, to specify in secondary legislation the controlled drugs covered by the offence and to specify in secondary legislation the specific limit for each drug covered by the offence. Although the power to decide the controlled drugs should be covered by the offence and the corresponding limits that should apply have therefore been devolved through the 2013 Act to the Scottish Government, all other legislative matters relating to drug-driving remain reserved and therefore the responsibility of the UK Government, e.g. setting the penalties available to the court for being convicted of the new drug-driving offence.
In July 2013, a consultation on specifying the drugs and corresponding limits was issued by the UK Government. This consultation was extended to Scotland at the request of the Scottish Government so that the views of Scottish stakeholders were sought in order to inform how the Scottish Government makes decisions about which drugs should be included within the drug-driving offence and what the limits should be for each of those drugs. The consultation ended in September 2013.
Drug-driving also remains a constant hindrance to efforts in Scotland to make our communities safer and the ability to set Drug-driving limits as part of the new Drug-driving offence will be a useful tool in helping to make Scotland's roads safer.
Any final policy decisions on what drugs to include within the Drug-driving offence and what limits should apply within the Drug-driving offence in Scotland will be taken within the wider context of Scotland's national drugs strategy. It is expected decisions on next steps as well as an analysis of the consultation responses for Scotland will be taken forward in the coming months.
Careless Driving: Fixed Penalty Notices
Changes giving the police powers to issue fixed penalty notices for careless or inconsiderate driving came into effect on 16 August 2013.
Careless driving is now a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) Offence and attracts a £100 penalty and three points on the driver's licence (or, where appropriate, an offer of remedial training).
Fixed penalty levels for most motoring offences - including using a mobile phone at the wheel and not wearing a seatbelt - have risen to £100 to bring them into line with the penalties for similar non-motoring fixed penalties.
174 people were reported as killed in 2012
40% below the 2004-08 average