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Road Safety Bill [HL]

It is surprisingly easy to pick up a conviction for using a vehicle in a dangerous condition. It is not perhaps as easy as my noble friend on the Front Bench suggested, where just a defective indicator is concerned, but a loose filler cap on the diesel tank, for instance, is a very serious matter. When the vehicle goes round a corner, the fuel can spill out. This is extremely dangerous for cyclists. Therefore, the authorities need to prosecute. No specific offence exists. All that one can do is prosecute the driver for using a vehicle in a dangerous condition. That is an example of how easy it is to pick up a prosecution. If we make the result of being prosecuted for a loose filler cap too devastating, the authorities might not prosecute at all, because they will jeopardise the driver’s licence, but they still want to prosecute him for something. The provision could have an unfortunate effect. We need to think very carefully about this, but I too would be interested in hearing what the Minister has to say.