The county has various initiatives aimed at encouraging safer driving including various with young drivers, young people who have committed driving offences and is constantly assessing the dangers posed on our roads.
Cllr Martin Heatley, Warwickshire County Council’s portfolio holder for the environment
Warwickshire County Council’s portfolio holder for the environment, Cllr Martin Heatley has praised the Ward family following their successful campaign in changing the law for prosecuting careless drivers.
19 year old Rachel Ward died in July 2007 when a lorry driver failed to spot her Ford Ka between junctions 1 and 2 of the M6. The driver received six points on his license which was irrelevant as he held a Dutch license and a £1000 fine which his company paid.
Tony and Barbara Ward gathered 40,000 signatures on a petition calling for government to change the law to allow drivers who kill through careless driving to be prosecuted instead of fined and given points on their license. The law changes to that effect across the UK this week and careless drivers who cause deaths may now be facing up to five years imprisonment.
Cllr Heatley praised the couple’s determination and heralded the change in the law as a major step in reducing the death toll on the roads.
He said: “Every year too may people lose their lives on Warwickshire’s roads and it is almost always down to human error of some description. I am very pleased that the tireless campaigning of these local people has brought about changes that will bring about benefits that will be felt nationally.
“The county has various initiatives aimed at encouraging safer driving including various with young drivers, young people who have committed driving offences and is constantly assessing the dangers posed on our roads.
“However, we cannot do it alone and we are indebted to the Wards for their courage and determination that their daughter’s death should not be in vain.”
Cllr Heatley’s sentiments were echoed by his colleague, Cllr Richard Hobbs, whose community protection portfolio oversees the work of the county’s fire and rescue service. He said:
“Firefighters have terribly traumatic jobs removing bodies from cars after accidents and it is all the more painful for them when they know that the tragedy could easily have been avoided by drivers taking more care. Tragically, nothing brings the message home as powerfully as a human story so we are very grateful to the Ward family for conducting this selfless campaign.”
In 2007, 397 drivers, passengers and pedestrians were killed or seriously injured on Warwickshire’s roads, 77 in Rugby borough.