Police Commissioner Condemns Labour's Road Safety Plan as Inadequate
A senior police official has launched a scathing critique of the Labour government's Road Safety Strategy, labeling it "weak" and insufficient following 1,600 deaths on UK roads. Philip Seccombe, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Warwickshire and Joint Lead on Roads Policing for the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, warned that the strategy "doesn't go far enough" to address the crisis.
Strategy Falls Short of Necessary Safeguards
Seccombe acknowledged that the strategy includes some positive steps, such as proposing a minimum learning period of three to six months for novice drivers before they can take their test and lowering the legal blood alcohol limit for all drivers in England and Wales. "The drink drive limit hasn't changed since it was first introduced nearly 60 years ago," he noted, "so these moves are sensible and overdue."
However, he emphasized that these measures are merely "a start" and fail to adequately protect against high-risk behaviors, particularly among young male drivers who are disproportionately involved in fatal incidents. "Given human nature, particularly among groups of young men, it seems a reasonable price to pay to introduce some limited and temporary additional safeguards for new drivers if it keeps them, their friends and others safe," Seccombe argued.
Call for Graduated Licensing and Additional Restrictions
The commissioner pointed to international examples where progressive driver licensing regimes have proven effective. "In countries where progressive or graduated driver licensing regimes have been introduced – Canada, Australia and New Zealand, for example – evidence shows the number of crashes and deaths of young people has dropped significantly," he stated.
He advocated for implementing time-limited measures to protect inexperienced drivers, including:
- Short-term late-night driving curfews
- Restrictions on the number of young passengers they can carry unless supervised by an older adult
- An even lower blood alcohol limit for newly qualified drivers
Government Urged to Take Stronger Action
Seccombe revealed that Police and Crime Commissioners have long lobbied for reduced blood alcohol limits, backing the British Medical Association's call for a general reduction and lower limits for new and commercial drivers just last year. While he welcomed the strategy's wide-ranging ideas for improving road safety through government, industry, policing, and road user cooperation, he insisted more must be done.
"PCCs and deputy mayors share the Government's determination to save more lives, but we believe there is more that can and must be done," he declared. He echoed the Transport Secretary's rhetorical question from the strategy's foreword: "Would we tolerate four deaths a day and thousands seriously injured on our railways or in the skies? Of course not."
The commissioner concluded by vowing to use the strategy as a foundation for shaping future policy, stating, "We will use the opportunity this strategy provides to shape future policy, doing everything possible to prevent more families living with the devastation and heartbreak my family and too many others have gone through."
