Pauline Latham OBE MP has spoken in Parliament for more enforcement of dangerous driving laws in order to prevent deaths.
In a speech in Parliament the Mid-Derbyshire MP said making sure there are tough and clear penalties for dangerous driving should go hand in hand with measures to tackle it. She also said that better enforcement of penalties will send a message to motorists that if they drive dangerously they will be caught. Failure to do this would mean more deaths of pedestrians and other motorists.
In the previous week Mrs Latham raised the issue of lack of enforcement of penalties for dangerous drivers in an adjournment debate she held in the House of Commons on the issue of safety outside Morley Primary School in her constituency where the busy A608 goes past.
Mid-Derbyshire’s MP called for increased use of cameras in high risk areas such as crossings outside schools like Morley Primary School where 200 hundred school crossings are made a day. In the debate she said, “Cameras on areas of high risk can really help to catch dangerous drivers before they kill someone. They can also greatly help with prosecutions by showing not just the speed of the car but whether the driver is doing anything illegal at the time, such as using their phone or texting. The clearer the picture of what happened, the easier it is to prosecute.
Mid-Derbyshire’s MP also asked Government Minister Andrew Selous MP, to look at giving more powers to local authorities to handle enforcing laws for drivers. By giving greater power to local authorities, so that they can allocate more resources to catching dangerous drivers, it will help get the message across. If people drive dangerously they will be caught and face the consequences.
Speaking after the debate Pauline Latham OBE MP said: “Better enforcement of dangerous driving laws will, I hope, bring down the incidents of dangerous driving. I do not want to have to speak for better enforcement after a death in my constituency, especially of a child crossing to go to school. Cameras in high risk areas can help catch offending drivers and provide evidence needed for a prosecution if a witness is not present. I hope the Government relooks at giving local authorities more power to enforce these laws”.