Making Dorset’s Roads Safer: What the national strategy gets right and Where it falls short

As Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset, keeping residents safe is one of my highest priorities. That is why I welcome the Government’s new Road Safety Strategy. Every death or serious injury on our roads is one too many. Behind each statistic is a family, a friend, or a colleague whose life has been changed forever.

I am pleased that road safety has returned to the national agenda. Any serious attempt to reduce deaths and serious injuries on our roads deserves attention. However, while the strategy contains some positive elements, there are also areas where it does not go far enough.

Dorset is a largely rural county with a unique road network that brings its own challenges, from fast rural roads to seasonal tourism pressures. I work closely with Dorset Police, local councils, and our wider road safety partners through the Dorset Strategic Road Safety Partnership to reduce harm and improve behaviour on our roads.

This national strategy strengthens the work already underway in Dorset. It supports targeted enforcement against the most dangerous drivers, improves support for young and new drivers, and focuses on preventing the small number of individuals whose reckless behaviour places everyone else at risk. However, I believe the strategy falls short in two areas - its response to drug driving and reducing casualties in newly qualified drivers.

Although the strategy introduces measures to protect new drivers - like a six-month gap between theory and practical tests and a lower drink-drive limit – more is needed. New drivers remain highly vulnerable, and we have seen in countries like Australia that graduated licensing schemes can cut crashes by giving new drivers experience in safer, phased conditions. I believe the UK should adopt a similar system, limiting high-risk behaviours while promoting education and responsibility, to make Dorset’s roads safer for everyone.

I also believe the strategy is a missed opportunity for more to be done to combat drug driving. Drug driving is an increasing threat to road safety, yet it does not seem to get the attention that drink driving does. Almost everyone knows and agrees that drunk driving is not only illegal but can have disastrous consequences, but drug driving is not thought of in the same way - partially because it is more common among younger drivers, but also because drug driving does not receive enough publicity.

Drug drivers pose a serious and often underestimated risk to others. While the strategy acknowledges the issue, it does not go far enough in setting out specific investment, national direction, or tougher sanctions to tackle drug driving effectively. In my view, this is a missed opportunity. I would like to see the government invest in road safety with a specific focus on targeting drug drivers. There are now more people found to be drug driving than drink driving, and national strategy, investment, and public campaigns need to reflect that.

Unlike with drink driving, a person caught drug driving can often get back in the car and drive again, they do not immediately lose their licence, and that is deeply concerning. In Dorset, there is currently a 28-day wait for blood drug test results. That is 28 days when a person can continue driving and potentially commit further offences while under the influence of drugs. During that time, they could not only cause harm to themselves but also to others. I would like to see those suspected of drug driving immediately surrender their licence and be prevented from driving while these tests take place.

Furthermore, there needs to be harsher sentences for drug driving. They should be on the same level as those for drink driving. I would suggest the equivalent of a driver awareness course - a mandatory drug education and awareness programme with full cost recovery - to be completed as part of the penalties, in addition to licence revocation. I also believe that if someone causes a death after driving under the influence of drugs, they should be charged with manslaughter rather than death by dangerous driving.

I recently shared the story of Mrs Rumens, a victim of a drug driver, who said she felt she had been given a life sentence, yet the driver only received a 20-month ban. No victim should be left feeling this way. When someone decides to get behind the wheel under the influence of drugs, they are not only putting their own life at risk, but also the lives of other road users and the wider community. Such a level of disregard, not only for the law but for human life, should be rightly punished.

While the new strategy demonstrates a national commitment to road safety, if we are serious about reducing deaths and serious injuries on our roads, we must be prepared to confront drug driving with the same determination shown over many years to combat drink driving and more must be done to protect our young people when they first start driving. I am determined to make Dorset’s roads safer for everyone and will continue working closely with Dorset Police, local authorities, and partner agencies through targeted enforcement, education, and awareness campaigns. I will also continue to speak out and lobby the government to take stronger action against those who endanger lives by driving under the influence of drugs.

David Sidwick

Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner