Blackburn MP Jack Straw backs drive to cut car accidents

9:12am Wednesday 3rd October 2012 in News

JACK Straw has backed a campaign to change how young people learn to drive to cut car accidents and injuries involving them.

But he warned that it would have to overcome “institutionalised resistance” in Whitehall.

The Blackburn MP said he supported the campaign by the Association of British Insurers to improve the safety of young drivers.

Mr Straw told a fringe event at the Labour Party conference in Manchester: “This is a really important campaign. As a senior minister, I came across a certain amount of institutional resistance in the Department of Transport.

“Only by having the support of a Cabinet Minister can we do something to create a shift in this resistance, and begin to address the issue of how to make driving for young people safer and more affordable.”

The campaign aims to: introduce a learning period of at least a year before a young driver can take a test; ban intensive driving courses; introduce ‘graduated driver licensing’; and lower the drink-drive limit for drivers aged 17 – 24.

Comments (10)

10:21am Wed 3 Oct 12

alf-abett says...

Simples!! Raise the minimum age that accurately reflects adulthood before a license is issued,

Must remain on a provisional for two years even after obtaining a full license.

Must remain with a 1000cc vehicle for two years and have no modifications whatsoever i.e. to match exactly manufacturing specifications for two years.

Insurance must be in the drivers name i.e not mummy and daddies.

Any breach of the above and receive a 2 years ban and a resit of the complete test.

You could call it the "Blues and Twos rules"
Simples!! Raise the minimum age that accurately reflects adulthood before a license is issued, Must remain on a provisional for two years even after obtaining a full license. Must remain with a 1000cc vehicle for two years and have no modifications whatsoever i.e. to match exactly manufacturing specifications for two years. Insurance must be in the drivers name i.e not mummy and daddies. Any breach of the above and receive a 2 years ban and a resit of the complete test. You could call it the "Blues and Twos rules" alf-abett

11:52am Wed 3 Oct 12

district01 says...

alf-abett wrote:
Simples!! Raise the minimum age that accurately reflects adulthood before a license is issued,

Must remain on a provisional for two years even after obtaining a full license.

Must remain with a 1000cc vehicle for two years and have no modifications whatsoever i.e. to match exactly manufacturing specifications for two years.

Insurance must be in the drivers name i.e not mummy and daddies.

Any breach of the above and receive a 2 years ban and a resit of the complete test.

You could call it the "Blues and Twos rules"
Excellent idea!

Experience is the key to being a good and responsible driver and the extra years after taking and passing a driving test should be a part of that test as I believe is the case in Ireland.

Simples!

Jack Straw - Why keep voicing your concerns in your retirement rather than when you had the power to have actually done something?
[quote][p][bold]alf-abett[/bold] wrote: Simples!! Raise the minimum age that accurately reflects adulthood before a license is issued, Must remain on a provisional for two years even after obtaining a full license. Must remain with a 1000cc vehicle for two years and have no modifications whatsoever i.e. to match exactly manufacturing specifications for two years. Insurance must be in the drivers name i.e not mummy and daddies. Any breach of the above and receive a 2 years ban and a resit of the complete test. You could call it the "Blues and Twos rules"[/p][/quote]Excellent idea! Experience is the key to being a good and responsible driver and the extra years after taking and passing a driving test should be a part of that test as I believe is the case in Ireland. Simples! Jack Straw - Why keep voicing your concerns in your retirement rather than when you had the power to have actually done something? district01

12:05pm Wed 3 Oct 12

Rumpole says...

They should make all new drivers under the age of 30 drive a speed restricted electric car for the 1st 5 years of having a license and if they cause any accidents during that time the 5 years starts again.

Not only would that lower the number of accidents it would also create mass employment in building the cars and the infrastructure to support the electric cars, charging points etc.

Labour could have done this years ago when they had the power to do it, especially when the car industry in Birmingham went down the pan after being sold out abroad!
They should make all new drivers under the age of 30 drive a speed restricted electric car for the 1st 5 years of having a license and if they cause any accidents during that time the 5 years starts again. Not only would that lower the number of accidents it would also create mass employment in building the cars and the infrastructure to support the electric cars, charging points etc. Labour could have done this years ago when they had the power to do it, especially when the car industry in Birmingham went down the pan after being sold out abroad! Rumpole

12:08pm Wed 3 Oct 12

Rumpole says...

Better still, make all new drivers of any age drive electric cars and anyone over the age of 30 in a petrol or diesel car that causes an accident are made to retake their test to become a new driver.

See the accident rates plummet then!
Better still, make all new drivers of any age drive electric cars and anyone over the age of 30 in a petrol or diesel car that causes an accident are made to retake their test to become a new driver. See the accident rates plummet then! Rumpole

2:12pm Wed 3 Oct 12

samspence says...

Was,nt this the man who was in a car doing over a ton and got off with it?
Was,nt this the man who was in a car doing over a ton and got off with it? samspence

2:16pm Wed 3 Oct 12

elmo maniac says...

Young drivers retake test every year.totaly agree with alf-abett . but some elder people can make wrong decissions also. but better road systems would be better also. some of them in town going towards argos is a nightmare. loadsa people in wrong lane cutting accross without indicating.accidents waiting to happen.
Young drivers retake test every year.totaly agree with alf-abett . but some elder people can make wrong decissions also. but better road systems would be better also. some of them in town going towards argos is a nightmare. loadsa people in wrong lane cutting accross without indicating.accidents waiting to happen. elmo maniac

2:23pm Wed 3 Oct 12

Izanears says...

Is the the Jack Straw who has twenty twenty HINDSIGHT vision. According to his autobiography he has!!!!!
Is the the Jack Straw who has twenty twenty HINDSIGHT vision. According to his autobiography he has!!!!! Izanears

4:11pm Wed 3 Oct 12

alf-abett says...

elmo maniac wrote:
Young drivers retake test every year.totaly agree with alf-abett . but some elder people can make wrong decissions also. but better road systems would be better also. some of them in town going towards argos is a nightmare. loadsa people in wrong lane cutting accross without indicating.accidents waiting to happen.
I agree with you elmo maniac, I am seventy years of age and I like to think I am possibly the best driver on the roads but, because of age and maturity I know I am not. Drivers in every age group make mistakes every single hour of every single day but I digress, the point of the story was "young drivers" who tend to make the most mistakes and in my opinion because of a lack of maturity.
[quote][p][bold]elmo maniac[/bold] wrote: Young drivers retake test every year.totaly agree with alf-abett . but some elder people can make wrong decissions also. but better road systems would be better also. some of them in town going towards argos is a nightmare. loadsa people in wrong lane cutting accross without indicating.accidents waiting to happen.[/p][/quote]I agree with you elmo maniac, I am seventy years of age and I like to think I am possibly the best driver on the roads but, because of age and maturity I know I am not. Drivers in every age group make mistakes every single hour of every single day but I digress, the point of the story was "young drivers" who tend to make the most mistakes and in my opinion because of a lack of maturity. alf-abett

7:24pm Wed 3 Oct 12

RUinsane says...

Said it a long time ago, people under the age of 25 should be banned from driving, you can only drive a car if you are over 25. Sorted.
Said it a long time ago, people under the age of 25 should be banned from driving, you can only drive a car if you are over 25. Sorted. RUinsane

12:04am Thu 4 Oct 12

woolywords says...

Sadly, anything that Mr Straw writes has to be viewed with a jaundiced eye.
This is the same man that was hopping over to the US with Condalisa Rice, for a confidential briefing that contained erroneous intelligence from CIA agent, Curveball, that was subsequently used to justify the invasion of Iraq.
It's amazing what this country doesn't want anyone to know about things that affect their day-to-day lives, isn't it?
Credibility is sadly lacking in Mr Straw.
Sadly, anything that Mr Straw writes has to be viewed with a jaundiced eye. This is the same man that was hopping over to the US with Condalisa Rice, for a confidential briefing that contained erroneous intelligence from CIA agent, Curveball, that was subsequently used to justify the invasion of Iraq. It's amazing what this country doesn't want anyone to know about things that affect their day-to-day lives, isn't it? Credibility is sadly lacking in Mr Straw. woolywords

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