Road Accidents

Mr. Kidney
15. To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action he plans to take to reduce the number of road traffic fatalities among young drivers.

Dr. Ladyman
We are very concerned about young driver fatalities, especially, that a minority appears to have a seriously unsafe attitude to the risks. We have strengthened the driving test; have commissioned research on improving pre-driver education and how to develop safe attitudes to driving among young people; and are developing a package of measures to tackle unlicensed driving.

Mr. Martlew
16. To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent progress has been made in reducing the number of people killed and seriously injured in road accidents.

Dr. Ladyman
Our provisional statistics for 2005 indicate that there were 32,150 people killed or seriously injured in accidents reported to the police in Great Britain, 33 per cent. below the 1994-98 baseline average.