Tabled by
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce
legislation further to regulate newly qualified young
drivers.
(Con)
My Lords, on behalf of my noble friend Lady Seccombe, and with
her permission, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in her
name on the Order Paper.
The Minister of State, Department for Transport ( of Richmond Hill) (Lab)
This Government take road safety very seriously, and reducing the
number of those killed and injured on our roads is a key
priority. The department is currently considering policy options
in this area, and my right honourable friend the Secretary of
State for Transport is meeting with campaigners this week. While
we are not considering graduated driving licences, we absolutely
recognise that young people are disproportionately victims of
tragic incidents on our roads, and we are considering other
measures to tackle this problem and to protect young drivers.
(Con)
When a young person passes their driving test, it is an occasion
for pride and congratulation; it is seldom mentioned that they
have been put in charge of a lethal weapon. Any subsequent
accident that brings about their death or the death of their
friends causes excruciating pain to their families and survivors,
and it begs many questions. Does the Minister agree with me,
therefore, that we should do more to mitigate these terrible
circumstances? Does he support the suggestion that, for six
months after a driving test is passed, the driver should be
allowed only one passenger, located in the front seat? Does he
agree that, before a test is taken, the learner driver should be
made to watch the film produced by county fire and rescue
services, which narrates in graphic detail the role played by
fire, police and ambulance services when a fatal accident
occurs?
of Richmond Hill (Lab)
Every death on our roads is a tragedy, and our thoughts remain
with the families of everyone who has lost a loved one in this
way. As I have said, the Secretary of State is meeting this week
with some campaigners who, tragically, are in that position.
There is a form of restricting novice drivers through the Road
Traffic (New Drivers) Act 1995. On acquiring their first full
licence, a new driver is on probation for two years. During that
time, they are subject to a more rigorous limit of penalty
points, and if they breach that they will lose their full
licence. I have not seen the film that the noble Lord refers to
but will certainly give that some thought.
(Con)
Granted, the priority must be to deal with the backlog of young
people taking their driving test, in order to increase their
productivity, but is it not also time to look again at the basic
driving test, whereby a young person can pass and drive away from
that test for the first time on either a motorway or in the
dark?
of Richmond Hill (Lab)
The Government and their agency are working extremely hard to
reduce the backlog of driving test appointments, but it is also
quite clear that people should be ready for the test at the time
that they present themselves to take it. The department's THINK!
campaign, which is a road safety campaign, is aimed primarily at
young men aged 17 to 24. It focuses on a number of priority
issues, all of which would help to reduce death and serious
injury both to that category and to other road users.
(LD)
My Lords, given the significant increase in low-powered
motorcycles and scooters being ridden on L-plates for food
deliveries, what plans do the Government have to strengthen the
compulsory basic training for motorcyclists to improve road
safety?
of Richmond Hill (Lab)
The Government are, of course, completely committed to ensuring
that motorcyclists are equipped with the specialist skills
necessary to stay safe on the road. I will write to the noble
Baroness with further details of what might be proposed in the
future to improve the competence of motorcycle drivers.
(Lab)
My Lords, is the Minister sympathetic to the argument that there
are quite a number of older drivers who are driving beyond the
point when they are fit to be safe on the roads—
Noble Lords
Oh!
(Lab)
Nobody here.
Could that be dealt with? Granted, there is a difficulty in
having enough driving tests at the moment, but would it not be a
good aim for people, say, over the age of 75 to do a driving test
again every couple of years?
of Richmond Hill (Lab)
I thank my noble friend. I am afraid I am already one of those
people who is subject to the more rigorous requirements; as a
vocational licence holder over the age of 70, I have to have a
medical every year. The current driving licence arrangements take
into account the risks that an individual poses to road safety.
They are designed to be fair and proportionate to all drivers who
remain fit and competent to drive, regardless of age.
(Con)
Will the Government, while acknowledging that there may be a case
for a graduated driving licence, also look at the issues which
cause most of the accidents on our roads and perhaps look again
at the penalties that are there for using the phone while
driving?
of Richmond Hill (Lab)
I thank the noble Lord for that thought, and of course he has
great experience in this matter. The Government are very
conscious of the principal reasons for fatalities and serious
injuries, and I will certainly take away the thought that we
should look further at driving while using a mobile phone, but
the existing penalties for this and their enforcement are very
stringent.
(CB)
My Lords, on the subject of driving test dates, what steps will
the Government take to prevent the exploitation of learner
drivers who are unable to get a date through the conventional
route and have to use these dodgy websites that buy dates in bulk
and then sell them off at a massively inflated price?
of Richmond Hill (Lab)
The Government would completely agree that it is quite wrong that
people should need to use what were referred to as “dodgy
websites”—which is obviously a technical term. The Driver &
Vehicle Standards Agency has closed down several hundred of those
websites by enforcing more strictly the rules by which people can
obtain driving tests. The correct way to obtain a driving test
is, first, for a learner driver to prepare so that the date that
they select is a date when they can pass and, secondly, to do it
through the DVSA website or through the helpline.
of Kentish Town (Lab)
My Lords, I draw attention to my interests. One of the issues for
young drivers is the enormous cost of insurance, and the
insurance industry would like to help address that. Therefore, a
probation period or maybe zero alcohol for the first five years
or until a certain age might be a way to help insurance companies
to produce better rates for young drivers, for whom a car can be
essential for work. Would the Minister agree to look at a range
of possibilities, so that we can keep young people on the road
more safely?
of Richmond Hill (Lab)
Of course, we all agree that insurance is necessary and that its
costs have been rising. Indeed, my right honourable friend the
Secretary of State for Transport has instituted a review, with
the aid of the industry, about the cost of insurance. There are a
number of ideas to help young drivers obtain insurance, some of
which need great thought to make sure that they are enforceable.
The primary way that they can get insurance and remain safe is to
practise for the test properly, to take the test, to be
successful and then to drive with the same safety that we want of
everybody on the roads.
(Con)
My Lords, I return to the question asked by the noble Baroness,
Lady Pidgeon. The Minister replied as if she had asked a question
about motorcycles but, unless I misunderstood, she asked as much
about electrically powered bicycles used for deliveries as about
motorcycles. Does the Minister agree that the licensing system
has now become completely incoherent? In some cases, electrically
powered bicycles are more powerful than smaller motorcycles, yet
the driver of one requires a licence and the driver of the other
does not. Will the Minister agree to a wholesale review of the
system, as it is breaking down?
of Richmond Hill (Lab)
I would say that the driving licence system is not breaking down.
We are seeing new cycles, some of which are not in fact cycles.
If they are adapted to do more than 15.5 miles an hour, they are
not cycles and should be subject to the licensing regulations for
motor vehicles and motorcycles. That definition is clear.
However, a number of users are adapting these bicycles illegally,
turning them into vehicles but not subjecting themselves to
proper licensing. It will have to be for the enforcement
authorities to find and catch those people, as some of them have
done.
