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Road Safety Bill [Lords]

My point was not exclusive, but the statistics show a notable prevalence of casualties and convictions for dangerous driving among younger people. In my constituency last year, a significant number of such drivers were young. The hon. Gentleman makes a good point, however. All drivers need to think about the way in which they conduct themselves on the road. At many of our meetings following road accidents, many older and more experienced drivers were frank about the fact that they too might not have the right attitude to driving. They may have as much to learn as some younger drivers. Nevertheless, there is unmistakable evidence that young people account for a significant percentage of road accidents. The pass plus course is one of the training opportunities for drivers, particularly new drivers. I have tabled some questions on that matter to the Minister, and raised it at oral questions. One of the things that I am thinking about is how to arrange things so that young drivers, in particular, see the benefit of undertaking such training. One of the blocks is that pass plus carries a financial cost. Sometimes, if a younger driver has just paid for driving lessons and is having to fund a car, taking other training is quite expensive. There is one obvious method to make that more affordable—providing young people with significant discounts on car insurance, which is a significant cost, as a result of having done pass plus or other training. Many insurance companies offer discounts for pass plus, some of which can be quite significant—but that is not always the case. I have spoken to a number of young people in my constituency who have taken pass plus or other training courses. For example, Sarah Rudge, a 19-year-old from Mile End, and Jonathan Jones, an 18-year-old from Pope’s Hill, recently took a Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents course. I presented them with their certificates in my constituency office. I talked to them about what happened. They struggled to get improved insurance quotes, even though they had taken some training and demonstrated that they were careful drivers and approached driving with the right attitude. If it is not possible for the Government to fund pass plus for younger drivers, perhaps they can have talks with the insurance industry to look at the evidence from drivers who have taken extra training to see whether it has had a significant effect on the safety of their driving. If it has, perhaps they could try to get the insurance industry to assess the risk properly when they offer quotes. That seems a good way to encourage increased take-up. The insurance companies have an incentive to encourage safer driving, particularly with younger drivers. If people have accidents in which they are seriously injured, which stops them from being able to work and means that they need significant support throughout their life, it can be incredibly expensive. I have been given one example of a 22-year-old driver who attempted to overtake at high speed and had a serious accident. Considering the medical costs, the damages for injury, the modifications to his housing, the fact that he was not going to be able to work for the rest of his life, and the fact that his previous job had been modestly paid, the insurance company was looking at a total claim of £3 million. That may be exceptional, but in view of some of those factors, it is easy to see that the financial arrangements could be made to work in the right direction and encourage young people to become better trained and better qualified, and to approach driving with the right attitude. I urge the Minister to do that in conjunction with the insurance industry. I did not intend to say anything about the proposal to tighten the penalties for causing death by careless driving, but one remark by my hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling) was worth elaborating on—his remark about what happens to drivers if they swerve to avoid an animal and cause a road accident and a death. In certain parts of my constituency, we have a significant deer population. The main roads through the forest are not fenced. A person can be driving perfectly safely and reduce their speed because they know deer are about—but deer, unlike some other animals, can give no warning. They can come out straight in front of the driver. They are of a significant size. The driver reacts. There is no time to think—it has happened to me; fortunately, there were no other vehicles in the vicinity. The driver swerves to avoid the animal and crosses to the other side of the road. At a different time, they could have caused a serious road accident, although there would have been no intention to do so. The person would not have been driving dangerously. I would not want people in that situation to be criminalised and put in prison.