Sir Alan Beith MP, who is presenting the Road Safety Bill to the House of Commons today, has a piece over at ePolitix urging the Government to do all it can to reduce the number of road deaths – because of their social, emotional and financial cost:

I want to see better protection for pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable road users, along with better support for HGV drivers who face being involved in fatal accidents because of blind spots on their vehicles. A family in my constituency approached me for help after the death of their much loved daughter and sister, Eilidh Cairns, who was killed when a lorry collided with her as she cycled to work in London.

This Bill proposes powers for the secretary of state to bring in measures to require blindspot eliminating equipment as standard on new HGVs and to encourage retrofitting on HGVs already operating on the our roads. This can include vehicle reversing camera/monitor systems, reversing alarms, movement sensors, ultrasonic proximity sensors, thermal imaging cameras and digital recorders – all of which can help to reduce the risk of collision.

I am hopeful that this proposal will be brought in across Europe, following the support of Written Declaration 81 by over 400 MEPs and the efforts of my colleague Fiona Hall MEP. But I want the government to send out a clear message that safety on our roads is a top priority, not an optional extra.

Read the full piece at ePolitix.