Proposals to improve road safety and reduce deaths are welcomed

OFFICIALS have welcomed the Government's new Road Safety Strategy, the first plan in more than a decade designed to make roads safer for everyone.

- by ECHO REPORTER

Police and crime commissioner Alison Hernandez with the Vision Zero South West Road Safety Pledge

The strategy includes plans for a lowered drink-drive limit, regular eye tests for drivers over 70 and the introduction of endorsements for seatbelt offences.

It also proposes a minimum learning period of up to six months for new drivers, national guidance for road safety education and training, as well as stronger penalties for those who fail to ensure child passengers are using seatbelts.

In 2024, 55 people were killed and a further 622 were seriously injured on Devon and Cornwall's roads. Over the past three years, Devon and Cornwall has seen a year-on-year decrease in the number of people killed and seriously injured on the roads.

The strategy targets a 65% reduction in deaths and serious injuries on Britain’s roads by 2035, and a 70% reduction for children, using a 2022-2024 baseline.