The UK’s main highway security charity, IAM RoadSmart, is looking on the Chancellor to take steps to each saves lives and scale back the influence of highway visitors collisions in her Autumn Finances. By incentivising the take-up of extra highway security programs by the tax system, it should additionally assist save motorists cash because the UK emerges from a cost-of-living disaster.
With the price of insurance coverage hitting file highs earlier this 12 months and being an enormous concern for drivers, significantly the under-25s, the charity recommends placing off Insurance coverage Premium Tax for many 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 may be tempted to extend gasoline responsibility, IAM RoadSmart urges her to present motorists some respiration area by retaining ranges on the present 52.95p after a interval of file excessive gasoline costs over the past 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 p.c to zero for many who undertake extra driver coaching.
The price of insurance coverage reached file highs earlier this 12 months, with the common premium costing round £600. The typical premium for underneath 25s is now greater than £2,000.
Analysis by IAM RoadSmart reveals 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 reveals that these excessive premiums have gotten unaffordable significantly for these teams which shall be disproportionately impacted. They might encourage younger folks to both break the regulation by driving uninsured, or hand over on driving altogether. How can it’s proper that kids, usually firstly 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 price of highway visitors collisions induced to survivors and their households, in addition to the fee to the Treasury – £43bn per 12 months. By encouraging drivers to upskill and save on their premiums, numerous deaths and critical accidents shall be prevented.”
Cut back VAT on life-saving bike air vests
Motorcyclists make up round 3% of all visitors however signify 19% of all fatalities, making them essentially the most susceptible highway customers. Bike helmets are considered PPE, so will not be topic to VAT. This variation in coverage will merely convey air vests consistent with many different types of PPE.
IAM RoadSmart Director of Coverage and Requirements Nicholas Lyes stated: “Slashing VAT on bike air vests is not going to solely be saving riders’ lives however may even lower your expenses by growing their uptake and lowering the fee to the emergency providers.”
Freeze gasoline responsibility
Analysis by IAM RoadSmart reveals that the 2 largest considerations for motorists are both price, or the state of the roads. The charity calls on the Chancellor to keep up the present the 5p lower that was launched in 2022, which has helped motorists save round £50 a 12 months. If the speed is elevated, this ought 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: “Arduous-done-by motorists will discover any enhance in gasoline responsibility a bitter capsule to swallow, provided that they’re already being drained by hefty insurance coverage premiums, to not point out larger restore prices after driving by the nation’s crater-ridden roads.
“On the very least, if gasoline 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 should extra importantly save lives, particularly for these travelling on two wheels the place the influence of hitting a pothole is prone to be much more extreme.”
Mature Driver Assessments
In response to the Division for Transport, the variety of folks which might be killed or significantly injured will increase over the age of 70. This accelerates when folks attain 80.
The price of a standardised mature driver evaluation is £85. An preliminary pilot is beneficial for as much as 100,000 drivers, at a value of £8.5m to the federal government.
Nicholas Lyes, Director of Coverage and Requirements, stated it was significantly regarding provided that it’s taking place 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 wish to preserve their driving in verify, and furthermore, no course of for GPs to have the ability to refer an older driver who they’ve critical considerations over their capability to drive. The nation’s inhabitants is ageing, so there shall be demand.
“The modest preliminary price may 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, this can give them confidence behind the wheel and have a wider societal profit.”
