News

23 August 2007
YOUNG PEOPLE ROAD DEATHS SPARKS STRATEGY SUMMIT

The high number of road traffic collisions involving young people and the rapid increase in the number of deaths during the first half of this year has been an issue of concern to Scotland’s top roads policing officers.

Led by Tayside Chief Constable John Vine, the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS) is hosting a ‘Young Driver Strategy Summit’ on 6th September to consider the House of Commons Transport Committee report on Novice Drivers and to advise the Scottish Executive regarding potential future strategy.

“I have called this summit because roads policing officers throughout Scotland have been expressing concern about the high number of road traffic collisions involving young people,” said Mr. Vine.

“The Scottish Police Service is concerned about the worrying increase in deaths of young people under 25 during the first half of 2007 and is working together with the Scottish Executive, Road safety Scotland and others to address the issue.”

The summit will be held on 6 September at the Tayside Police Divisional Headquarters in Perth and will include representatives from the Scottish Executive, Driving Standards Agency, Crown Office, Road Safety Scotland, a road safety expert from Napier University, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, the Scottish Road Policing Officers Committee, the Institute of Advance Motoring and the Scottish Camera Safety Partnerships.

“The Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson will open the event.  We hope to explore a wide range of possibilities that could include driver education at the high school level, graduated licences and specific restrictions on young motorists,” said Mr. Vine.

“It is a sad fact of life that we will have deaths on our country’s roads,” Chief Constable Vine concluded. “But we all need to redouble our efforts to reduce the number of road deaths – now and for the future!”