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Road Safety Bill [HL]

My Lords, as the noble Baroness said in moving her amendment, some aspects of this we had considered earlier. I have to state that we do not have clear statistics to back up what I will now contend, which makes me feel even more vulnerable than usual. We do not have statistics about accident rates and vehicle speeds because we do not differentiate between unrestricted roads with a centre white line and those without. So it is not possible to determine whether those roads are more or less safe than unrestricted rural roads with a centre white line. We cannot easily predict whether reducing vehicle speed limits on these roads would be likely to result in any reduction in accident rates. I hasten to add that the department is never without resources, even if the particular statistics may not be readily at hand. We have some insight into the suggestion by comparing the accident rates on rural A roads with those on rural B, C and unclassified roads, on the basis that most A roads have centre white lines while quite a number of the B, C and unclassified roads do not. It turns out that the fatal accident involvement rates on rural B, C and unclassified roads for light goods vehicles and buses is significantly lower than the fatal accident involvement rates for those types of vehicles on rural A roads. It is also worth noting that on rural B, C and unclassified roads, the fatal accident rate of light goods vehicles, which are restricted to a speed of 50 mph, was less than one-sixth of that of heavy goods vehicles, despite the fact that HGVs are already restricted to a lower speed than light goods vehicles—namely, 40 mph. Similarly, the fatal accident involvement rate for buses is also less than that for heavy goods vehicles. What does this mean? I would say that there is no evidence to suggest that reducing vehicle speed limits on unrestricted roads without a centre white line would bring any notable road safety benefits. Indeed, the evidence we have tends to suggest that, for the most part, motorists adjust their speed appropriately on these roads. So making the changes proposed could well impose additional restrictions on businesses for very little or possibly no road safety benefit. However, having said that, while there are local concerns about certain unrestricted roads without a centre white line, local authorities already have powers to reduce the general speed limit for all vehicles on such roads from 60 mph to 40 mph if that is thought appropriate. This point was adumbrated in our earlier debate. Our position is that we cannot see how the case can be proven for the gain suggested in the amendment, but we can see clearly the restrictions it would impose on certain road users. Where local authorities are anxious about the position and wish to take action, they already have the power to do so. On the basis of that reassurance, I hope that the noble Baroness will feel able to withdraw her amendment.