Written question asked by Earl of Dundee (Conservative), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Bassam of Brighton (Labour) on Monday, 29 September 2008.

Roads: Young People

Question: What plans they have to include any evaluation in the current road safety programme of the Department for Transport in connection with young road users.

Answer: The Department for Transport is developing a new road safety strategy for Great Britain, for the period beyond 2010. In that context, the department is considering how current policies impact upon young road users. The department has also engaged EdComs—a marketing company specialising in the education field—to develop over three years a comprehensive set of educational materials to reflect the needs of different age groups. Also relevant is the Driving Standards Agency’s current consultation on the reform of driver training and testing. This includes a proposal to introduce a pre-driver qualification in safe-road use which would be suitable for all road users (http://learningtodrive.dsa.gov.uk/pages/home). The consultation runs until 8 September 2008.

Secondary information