Shipley MP campaigns for new measures to crack down on dangerous driving and improve road safety

Anna Dixon MP with Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander

Shipley MP Anna Dixon has this week urged the government to bring in new measures aimed at cracking down on the “blight” of dangerous driving in her constituency. 

In a letter sent this week to Lilian Greenwood MP, the Government Minister responsible for road safety, Ms Dixon emphasised several issues affecting her constituents. These include speeding, the use of mobile phones while driving, and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. 

The Labour Government is set to publish its new national ‘Road Safety Strategy’, the first in over a decade, in the coming weeks. Ahead of its release, the Shipley MP has called in the government to bring in new measures, such as harsher penalties for those caught speeding, a minimum learning period for new drivers, and lowering the maximum legal drink drive limit.  

In her letter to the Transport Department minister, Anna Dixon said: “Every day, there are four needless deaths and 76 serious injuries caused by road collisions in the UK..  

“West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin and West Yorkshire Police have made significant strides in addressing this problem in my constituency through the Vision Zero initiative.  

“However, based on my interactions with our local police Speed Watch team, correspondence with my constituents, and meetings with victims of road crashes, there is more to do at both local and national levels to improve road safety and reduce serious injuries and deaths on the roads.  

“With the upcoming publication of the government's 'Road Safety Strategy,' I hope to see measures that address the concerns of residents in communities within my constituency, such as Cullingworth, Harden, Menston, Burley-in-Wharfedale, Denholme, Cottingley, and Eldwick, who have been significantly affected by dangerous speeding on our roads.” 

The Member of Parliament also called for stricter penalties for uninsured drivers and for strengthening post-test requirements to protect newly qualified drivers.   

Speaking today, Anna Dixon MP added: “Every fatality on our roads is a tragedy.  

“Dangerous and careless driving are a blight on communities across the Shipley constituency and beyond.  

“This is an issue that is personal for me. Before I was born, my grandfather lost his life in a road traffic accident. An accident that also left my grandmother both widowed and disabled.  

“Improving safety on our roads is something that I know is a high priority for residents across the Shipley constituency, and I am absolutely committed to working with our government ministers to ensure our roads are safer for everyone.”