The UK’s main highway security charity, IAM RoadSmart, is looking on the Chancellor to take steps to each saves lives and cut back the impression of highway site visitors collisions in her Autumn Finances. By incentivising the take-up of extra highway security programs by means of the tax system, it would additionally assist save motorists cash because the UK emerges from a cost-of-living disaster.
With the price of insurance coverage hitting document highs earlier this yr and being an enormous concern for drivers, significantly the under-25s, the charity recommends hanging off Insurance coverage Premium Tax for individuals who undertake extra driver coaching.
To supply a lift to susceptible motorcyclists, IAM RoadSmart additionally needs the Chancellor to scale back VAT on bike air vests.
Whereas the Chancellor is perhaps tempted to extend gas responsibility, IAM RoadSmart urges her to provide motorists some respiration area by retaining ranges on the present 52.95p after a interval of document excessive gas costs during the last two years.
Lastly, with an ageing inhabitants, the charity calls on the Treasury to allocate funding to permit GPs to prescribe mature driver assessments, stopping deaths involving aged drivers.
Cancel Insurance coverage Premium Tax
IAM RoadSmart is looking on the federal government to scale back Insurance coverage Premium Tax (IPT) from 12 % to zero for individuals who undertake extra driver coaching.
The price of insurance coverage reached document highs earlier this yr, with the typical premium costing round £600. The typical premium for below 25s is now greater than £2,000.
Analysis by IAM RoadSmart exhibits a rise of 25% within the variety of drivers aged 17-20 being caught driving with out insurance coverage between 2022-2023.
IAM RoadSmart Director of Coverage and Requirements Nicholas Lyes stated: “This exhibits that these excessive premiums have gotten unaffordable significantly for these teams which might be disproportionately impacted. They might encourage younger individuals to both break the legislation by driving uninsured, or quit on driving altogether. How can it’s proper that children, typically at first of their careers and needing a car to get to work, could also be priced out of driving altogether.
“Moreover, there may be the human value of highway site visitors collisions induced to survivors and their households, in addition to the fee to the Treasury – £43bn per yr. By encouraging drivers to upskill and save on their premiums, numerous deaths and critical accidents might be prevented.”
Scale back VAT on life-saving bike air vests
Motorcyclists make up round 3% of all site visitors however signify 19% of all fatalities, making them probably the most susceptible highway customers. Motorbike helmets are thought to be PPE, so usually are not topic to VAT. This alteration in coverage will merely carry air vests in keeping with many different types of PPE.
IAM RoadSmart Director of Coverage and Requirements Nicholas Lyes stated: “Slashing VAT on bike air vests won’t solely be saving riders’ lives however may also lower your expenses by rising their uptake and lowering the fee to the emergency providers.”
Freeze gas responsibility
Analysis by IAM RoadSmart exhibits that the 2 largest issues for motorists are both value, or the state of the roads. The charity calls on the Chancellor to keep up the present the 5p reduce that was launched in 2022, which has helped motorists save round £50 a yr. If the speed is elevated, this needs to be partially ringfenced into repairing Britain’s crumbling highway community and filling in potholes.
IAM RoadSmart Director of Coverage and Requirements Nicholas Lyes stated: “Exhausting-done-by motorists will discover any enhance in gas responsibility a bitter tablet to swallow, on condition that they’re already being drained by hefty insurance coverage premiums, to not point out larger restore prices after driving by means of the nation’s crater-ridden roads.
“On the very least, if gas responsibility is to extend, the Chancellor ought to ringfence this cash to restore Britain’s crumbling highway community. Not solely will this save motorists cash in repairs, it would extra importantly save lives, particularly for these travelling on two wheels the place the impression of hitting a pothole is more likely to be way more extreme.”
Mature Driver Assessments
In keeping with the Division for Transport, the variety of individuals which can be killed or severely injured will increase over the age of 70. This accelerates when individuals attain 80.
The price of a standardised mature driver evaluation is £85. An preliminary pilot is really useful for as much as 100,000 drivers, at a price of £8.5m to the federal government.
Nicholas Lyes, Director of Coverage and Requirements, stated it was significantly regarding on condition that it’s occurring when the nation has an ageing variety of licence holders.
He stated: “We’re involved there’s nothing formally in place to assist older drivers who need to maintain their driving in examine, and furthermore, no course of for GPs to have the ability to refer an older driver who they’ve critical issues over their capability to drive. The nation’s inhabitants is ageing, so there might be demand.
“The modest preliminary value might make an enormous distinction if it encourages in any other case unsafe drivers to cease driving. Likewise, if older drivers want reassurance that they’re nonetheless match to drive, it will give them confidence behind the wheel and have a wider societal profit.”
