More than 50% of road users believe the current Government has not sufficiently prioritised road safety, according to a survey conducted by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM).
The 2,100 people who responded to the poll said reducing the number of potholes should be the new Government’s highways priority, with 70% identifying this as their main concern.
The next biggest concern was ‘general road maintenance’ with 64% of those surveyed saying this needs more attention.
Third in the list was reducing the number of collisions and casualties for all age groups, with 52% of respondents saying this should be a “greater concern” for the Government.
41% of respondents also thought the UK driving test is “not fit for purpose” and would like to see it made “more relevant to today’s driving landscape”. And 39% want to see longer sentences for people found guilty of serious motoring offences.
Neil Greig, IAM director of policy and research, said: “No Government can be complacent about the figures and we all need to do more to reduce the numbers killed and injured on our roads.
“Cuts in visible policing and road safety spending have had an impact. While these figures cannot be regarded as a trend, they are a major concern that the new Parliament must address.”
Why should this or any government spend 13 billion pounds over the next 12 years [info from the Asphalt Association, March 2015] when the poor state of the roads is, or should be, reducing speeds and therefore accidents, each pothole acting like a silent policeman.
Add to that the small amounts in compensation for complainants and one can see that there is no reason for rushing into anything.
I wonder in stats 19 just how many serious accidents have actually been caused completely by a pot hole. That would be interesting, if any have.
Bob Craven Lancs…Space is Safe campaigner.
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