West Midlands leaders set out plan to tackle dangerous driving and save lives

Greater enforcement of speed limits and increased use of dashcam footage as evidence are part of a major crackdown on dangerous driving outlined in the region’s new Road Safety Action Plan.

The plan, launched at the National Road Safety Conference on Wednesday outlines 23 actions for the Regional Road Safety Partnership, which includes police and local authorities, to help cut the number of deaths and serious injuries on roads.

It will be delivered with the help of the dedicated Road Safety Commissioner who will work with partners to keep the plan on track.

Actions include funding for extra staff to review speed camera and dashcam footage to increase the number of people prosecuted for speeding and dangerous driving, a quarterly review of all road deaths and serious accidents to learn lessons and advise on action and working with the food delivery industry to improve safety and compliance for their staff.

Other actions will include further action to identify and remove uninsured vehicles and drivers from roads, working with media to highlight successful prosecutions for dangerous driving, provide additional support for victims through restorative justice and organisations like Road Peace and working with local councils to design safer streets.

The plan has been drawn up by West Midlands Police, Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), which is part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), local councils and the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner as part of a commitment to improve safety.

It is expected to be approved by the Mayor and council leaders at the WMCA Board meeting on Friday, November 15.

Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands and Simon Foster, West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, are also lobbying the Government over fixed penalty fines for driving offences, allowing the Partnership to keep the money in the region and invest it in road safety. 

Currently income from local fines, which are worth more than £2 million in the West Midlands each year, go straight to the Treasury.

Mr Parker said: “Too many lives are left devastated by the dangerous driving of a few irresponsible motorists who treat our roads as a racetrack. 

"This action plan sets out how we are going to make our roads safer for everyone and save lives. 

"This includes putting more people to work reviewing dashcam and CCTV footage so we can bring reckless drivers to justice.

“And we have started the search for a person to fill our new role of Road Safety Commissioner. 

"This is the first time we have had a dedicated commissioner to improve the safety of our roads. 

"This person will use their profile to promote road safety and make sure we are delivering on this action plan to make journeys for everyone safer.”

Last year the Partnership launched the Refreshed Regional Road Safety Strategy 2023-2030 which adopted the Vision Zero policy of eliminating deaths and serious injury on our roads.

Simon Foster, the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “Road deaths and serious injuries are not just unfortunate collisions. 

"They are predictable, preventable, and unacceptable. 

"Evidence shows that setting a road safety target is an effective way to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured in traffic crashes.

“The Action Plan sets out a range of measures that partners have collectively and collaboratively committed to delivering, in order to achieve that target. 

"I am committed to playing my part, so that we prevent and tackle crime and anti-social behaviour and reduce the number of people tragically and avoidably killed and seriously injured on our roads.”

West Midlands Chief Constable Craig Guildford said: “Since the summer, I have chaired a gold group around road safety bringing together the local authorities and the WMCA to work collectively for safer roads. 

"We must all work in partnership to bring down the number of collisions that result in fatalities or serious injuries.

“At West Midlands Police, we have made the biggest reinvestment in roads policing in a generation. 

"We’ve increased the teams who target the causes of collisions as well as the teams that tackle criminal use of our roads.

“We are more determined than ever to achieve Vision Zero, but we need the help of every road user to achieve it.”