Mr (Huddersfield)
(Lab/Co-op): When he plans to meet representatives of
the road safety sector to discuss road safety policy. [R]
[904113]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport
(Jesse Norman): Since becoming road safety Minister, I
have met the hon. Gentleman several times, as well as a broad
range of road safety organisations and others with an interest in
road safety, to discuss many different issues. Those institutions
include RoadPeace, the Royal Society for the Prevention of
Accidents, the RAC, the AA and many others.
Mr Sheerman: I congratulate the Minister on his
keen interest in this subject; I have been impressed by him so
far. However, is it not the case that there are still 1,720
knocks on the door by a policeman or a policewoman who says that
your daughter, your son, your mum, your dad, your grandmother or
your grandfather are dead? That is the truth, so we cannot be
complacent. Can we now look to having a national investigatory
body to investigate every death on the road? Will the Minister
also talk to his overseas development colleagues, given that 1.3
million people worldwide die in road accidents every year? Is it
not time that we did something to help them?
: As the hon.
Gentleman will know, we are very closely involved in supporting
nations around the world to raise road safety standards; he has
been involved in that himself. With regard to a national body, we
have looked at that. I am sure that he will take some comfort
from the fact that only today we are laying regulations that
allow driving instructors to undertake motorway driving with
learners. That is part of a much wider pushback to improve
driving quality and reduce fatalities.
