Poots sets out vision for safer roads
Environment Minister Edwin Poots today announced two major safety initiatives aimed at driving down the number of deaths and injuries on our roads.
~ Tuesday, 15 March 2011
Firstly Mr Poots launched the Road Safety Strategy for the next ten years and, secondly, he announced a consultation on Graduated Driver Licensing scheme which reforms the learner and restricted driving schemes.
Launching the Strategy Mr Poots told the Assembly: “Four people died on our roads yesterday and over the weekend and I must first pass on my sympathies to the families and friends of those affected and to all those who have lost loved ones on our roads. This is why we must keep striving for improvements in road safety - to help prevent such tragedies in the future.
“This strategy is the best way to do that and to make our roads safer over the next ten years. Figures show that a significant percentage of road deaths and serious injuries occur in rural areas, with many young people involved in serious collisions. We must reduce injuries to older pedestrians and motorcyclists and deal with the increased risks faced by children in areas of deprivation.
This Strategy will tackle these issues. I am grateful to the 2,500 people who gave up their time to share views which contributed to developing this Strategy.”
The Minister also announced a consultation on the reform of learner and restricted driver schemes under new proposals for Graduated Driver Licensing scheme.
Among the measures proposed in the consultation are raising the minimum age for holding a licence; requiring learner drivers to take minimum number of driving lessons/supervised practice; allowing learners to drive on motorways; amending learner driver speed limits; introducing night time restrictions; passenger restrictions and increasing the restriction period.
Mr Poots continued: “The publication of the new Road Safety Strategy is only one step in a journey to make our roads safer. I am also announcing the start of consultation on proposals to change the learner and restricted driver schemes and on options for a system of graduated driver licensing.
“I will not accept that nothing can be done and I will not accept that our young people should be allowed to die or be seriously injured at the rates they do today. Neither will I accept that they should be allowed to kill and seriously injure other road users. Improving the safety of young drivers, overhauling how they are trained, tested and licensed is a key challenge for my department.
“Evidence of Graduated Driver Licensing systems in other countries supports the view that moderating the exposure to risk of novice drivers while they gain crucial experience can dramatically reduce the likelihood that they will be involved in a collision.
Graduated Driver Licensing scheme involves a series of driving stages lasting usually for three years. Its aim is to give the novice driver experience in low risk conditions in order to reduce the risk of collision when driving alone. It has proved successful when implemented in the US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.
In conclusion Mr Poots said: “Government in Northern Ireland is fully committed to improving safety for all road users. Working together, I firmly believe that we can make a journey on our roads as safe as anywhere in the world.”
Notes to editors:
1.The Department of the Environment (DOE) has lead responsibility for the coordination of road safety in Northern Ireland and will prepare annual reports on progress against the strategy each year.
2. The Strategy presents 199 measures for improving road safety up to 2020, including targets for reductions in deaths and serious injuries to be achieved over that period.
3.The casualty reduction targets in the Strategy are based on averages from 2004-2008 and are for achievement by 2020. They are:
- to reduce the number of people killed in road collisions by at least 60%;
- to reduce the number of people seriously injured in road collisions by at least 45%;
- to reduce the number of children (aged 0 to 15) killed or seriously injured in road collisions by at least 55%; and
- to reduce the number of young people (aged 16 to 24) killed or seriously injured in road collisions by at least 55%.
4. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK to introduce a target specifically to reduce fatal or serious casualties in the 16-24 year old age group.
5.The 199 Action Measures are presented under ‘Safer Roads’, ‘Safer Vehicles’, ‘Safer Road Users’ and ‘Safer Road User Groups’.
6. The key road safety challenges to be addressed over the lifetime of the Strategy include:
- continuing to reduce the numbers of road deaths and serious injuries;
- improving safety on rural roads;
- protecting young drivers and motorcyclists;
- reducing inappropriate and illegal road user behaviours including speeding, drink and drug driving and careless and dangerous driving;
- improving our knowledge and broadening the involvement in solving road safety problems; and
- working within funding constraints and future uncertainties.
7. The main single cause of death and serious injuries in Northern Ireland is excessive speed having regard to conditions followed by drink or drug driving.
8. Between 2003 and 2008, 72% of all fatalities and 55% of serious injuries happened on rural roads.
9. Young people aged between 17 and 24 are over-represented in all road safety statistics. 15% of licensed drivers are 17-24 yet they were responsible for 38% of fatal collisions between 2003 and 2008 and 32% of fatal and serious collisions which involved a car or light goods vehicle where the driver was responsible.
10. Between 2004 and 2008, 17 to 24 year old drivers were responsible for 1 in 4 of all road fatalities and 1 in 5 of all serious road injuries in Northern Ireland. That amounts to 163 deaths and 1,237 serious injuries. Focusing on car drivers alone, young car drivers were responsible for 41% of all road deaths and 34% of all serious injuries caused by car drivers over that period.
11. Motorcyclists are the fourth largest fatal and seriously injured casualty group. Between 2003 and 2008 motorcyclists accounted for 14% of all deaths and 12% of all those killed or seriously injured on our roads.
12. The Strategy is available on the DOE's Road Safety website. The following supporting documents are also available: Road Safety Strategy Summary (including summary of measures to be delivered within first 3 years); and Easy Read version of the Executive Summary.
13. Consultation on Reforming the ‘L’ and ‘R’ Driver Schemes and options for a system of Graduated Driver Licensing will run from 15 March to 19 July 2011.
14. Measures included in the consultation are:
- raise the minimum licensing age
- require learner drivers to take a minimum number of driving lessons and/or hours/miles of supervised practice
- set a minimum mandatory learning period (starting potentially from age 16)
- encourage/require skid training for learner or restricted drivers
- amend or remove speed limits for learner and restricted drivers
- allow learner drivers to drive on motorways
- revise the practical driving test
- introduce night-time driving restrictions for restricted drivers
- introduce passenger restrictions for restricted drivers
- introduce restrictions on high performance vehicles for restricted drivers
- introduce an offence-free period before restrictions are lifted
- increase the duration of the restriction period.
15. The GDL consultation papers are available on the DOE's Road Safety website.
16. For media enquiries and photographs please contact DOE Communications on 028 9054 0003 or out of office hours, contact the EIS Duty Press Officer on pager 07699 715 440 and your call will be returned.
Connect with US
