Toughening Up Road Safety Laws

6 October 2005
TOUGHENING UP ROAD SAFETY LAWS
Environment Minister Jeff Rooker has proposed new road safety measures.
The Minister said: "I want to tackle speeding, drink and drug driving and non-wearing of seatbelts, amongst other issues. I firmly believe that the measures my Department is proposing will enhance road traffic law in Northern Ireland and I am starting the process by announcing a consultation process.
"The Northern Ireland Road Safety Strategy published by DOE in November 2002 gave a commitment to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads by 33% and the number of children killed or seriously injured by 50%, by 2012.
"Two years into the Strategy we have already seen reductions of 24% and 39% respectively. I am very encouraged by what has been achieved. This shows that the DOE and its partners, DRD and PSNI are on the right track. But we cannot be complacent.
"There is still a long way to go and reducing these figures even further will get more and more difficult. I believe that the legislation proposed in this consultation will build on what has been achieved and help us reach these targets.
"These proposals have the potential to deliver the most significant Road Safety legislative programme in Northern Ireland for many years. I hope that everyone who wishes to do so will contribute to the consultation exercise."
Measures in the proposed Road Traffic (Northern Ireland) (Order) 2006 include:

Penalty points and greater fines for:

non-wearing of seatbelts;

using a hand held mobile phone while driving;

not having proper control of a vehicle; and

contravention of a temporary speed limit.

Powers for police to seize uninsured vehicles.

Powers for police to require a driver to undertake an impairment test for drugs.

Power of arrest for failure to stop a vehicle for a police constable and for failing to stop after a road traffic collision involving personal injury.

Powers to set variable fixed penalties for speeding to match the punishment to the severity of the offence.

Powers for courts to make increased use of retraining courses for drink driving and other specified offences.

Rationalising fines for children not wearing seatbelts to Ł500 for front and rear of vehicle (presently Ł200 in rear and Ł500 in front).

Updating provisions relating to driver instruction and introducing driver improvement courses.

Making the display of MOT discs compulsory.

Powers to stipulate the distance that a delivery driver may drive without wearing a seatbelt.

Allowing the Police direct access to the DVLNI database to facilitate detection and enforcement.

Bringing EU licence holders within the fixed penalty system in Northern Ireland.

A system of graduated fixed penalties for roadworthiness offences.

Introduction of a financial penalty deposit scheme for non-NI licence holders to ensure that drivers from outside NI do not evade penalties by leaving the country before a summons is served.

Various changes to the licensing arrangements, in particular, clarifying offences relating to physical fitness to drive.

NOTES TO EDITORS:
1. The consultation exercise will run from 6 October 2005 to 12 January 2006.
2. The aim is to have the legislation in place by July 2006 although it will not all be commenced at that time.
3. Most of the proposed measures will reflect the GB position assuming assent of the Road Safety Bill presently before Parliament.
4. The NI Road Safety Strategy was published on 6 November 2002. It sets out the strategic objectives proposed to improve road safety up to 2012 and identifies the action measures planned by the Departments and Agencies whose activities contribute to road casualty reduction.
5. An Explanatory Memorandum gives more detail on the proposed new measures and is available along with the draft Order on the Department's website: http://www.doeni.gov.uk/roadsafety or http://www.consultationni.gov.uk/
6. For further media information contact DOE Press Office, Tel: 028 9054 0003.

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