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| Long title | An Act to make provision about road traffic, registration plates, vehicle and driver information, hackney carriages and private hire vehicles, and trunk road picnic areas. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 2006 c 49 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 8 November 2006 |
| History of passage through Parliament | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Revised text of statute as amended | |
The Road Safety Act 2006 (c 49) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The provisions contained in the Act are designed to improve road safety and help achieve casualty reduction targets. The Government’s strategy for improving road safety was set out in the framework paper "Tomorrow's Roads – safer for everyone".[2] The aim is to improve road safety and achieve casualty reduction targets of 40% of those killed and seriously injured and 50% reduction for children by 2010.
The Act creates a new criminal offence of causing death by careless, or inconsiderate, driving. This offence was introduced because of public concern about deaths on the roads and the minimal sentence allowed under the law as it was before the introduction of the Act. A person can now be sentenced summarily to 12 months (in England and Wales) or 6 months or a fine both or on indictment to 5 years or a fine or both. The Act also increased the penalty for use of a hand-held mobile phone or similar device. Section 26 provides for an obligatory endorsement (with disqualification at the court's discretion) for the offence.
The provisions of the Act cover:
- Drink driving
- Speeding
- New offences
- Penalties and enforcement
- Driver training
- Driver fatigue
- Driver and vehicle licensing
- Motor insurance