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Road Safety Bill [HL]

I am grateful for the intervention of my noble friend Lord Attlee. He knows far more about heavy goods vehicles than I do. What I do know is the frustration of driving behind a very slow vehicle on a road that, potentially, should have vehicles going at a higher speed. I have limited myself to heavy goods vehicles and have not included tractors or JCBs that   tootle along roads. If we raised the speed limit to 50 mph for a tractor or a JCB, noble Lords would have some right to ask what I was getting at. I worry a little about this debate. It is all very worthy: just clamp down and do not look at how the motorist reacts to what we are trying to do. The more difficult things are made for motorists, the more likely it is that there will be accidents. I have trailed many a vehicle on many a road at 30 mph, and no amount of coffee or tranquillisers would have made the situation any better. It just gets worse. One is tempted to try to overtake in all the wrong places. A steady 50 mph is a far better speed than 40 mph or going down to 30 mph. I fear that I am not pushing at an open door. It is not a matter that I intend to give up. Therefore I shall withdraw the amendment but, after the Minister has had her ride on the test track in one of the latest versions of an HGV—I am sure that my noble friend Lord Attlee will ensure that there is also a not quite so recent version so that she can see how worthy they are—it will be back. I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.