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Mr. Lee Scott (Ilford, North) (Con): I agree with the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Tom Brake), who raised the issue of pedicabs, which are unchecked and unregulated, and cause major problems on our roads. There is no recourse for anyone involved in an accident with them, and that issue should be tackled as a matter of urgency. The hon. Gentleman and my right hon. Friend the Member for East Yorkshire (Mr. Knight) spoke about first aid training for drivers.
 
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I appreciate that refresher courses would be required, but if someone has learned something there are some aspects that they will never forget. If that training saves one life, it is worth while, but I recommend that we go a stage further. Some of our European neighbours and many other countries make it compulsory to carry first aid kits in all vehicles, which benefits everyone if a vehicle is involved in an accident or, indeed, if the driver and passengers witness an accident. I urge the Government to consider making it a legal requirement to carry first-aid boxes in cars.

Speed cameras have been mentioned. I fully support them where they make our roads safe. However, there is a speed camera in my constituency at the bottom of the M11 exit to the Redbridge roundabout, where accidents have gone up by 300 per cent. since it was installed. Either it is the wrong place and needs to be moved, or one must assume that it is there for other reasons. Speed cameras should be there to make our roads safer, and for no other reason. Hon. Members have spoken about the blight of mini-motorcycles, which is a huge problem. In my constituency and, I am sure, in others, one sees very young children with no head gear or training driving unlicensed vehicles on the road. We have read in the press about many accidents and, indeed, fatalities. That must be stopped. It is not simply a matter of asking our police force or, indeed, local authorities, to enforce a ban—new legislation is required to bring mini-motorcycles into line with other road vehicles.

I am in favour of a 20 mph speed limit near our schools. I praise the London borough of Redbridge for its work in imposing those limits around schools in my constituency, particularly primary schools. My right hon. Friend the Member for East Yorkshire said that there are certain times of year when a limit is not necessary, but I disagree, as they are needed throughout the year, including school holidays, in residential areas where children play. The 20 mph limit has saved many lives over the years, and it will continue to do so. As we have heard, the question of whether a child is hit at 20 mph or 30 mph can make the difference between serious injury and a life and death situation.

Mr. Bone: Is my hon. Friend aware that in America 15 mph limits are flashed up at the beginning and end of the school day? Is there not a danger that a permanent 20 mph limit will be ignored?

Mr. Scott: My hon. Friend makes a valid point, but I am afraid that I disagree. The permanent enforcement of lower speed limits is required. Cars are usually parked in the street—as we heard, planning regulations mean that homes do not have off-road car parking spaces—creating narrow spaces where children run in and out. Children will be children, and if we can do something to prevent fatalities, we are duty bound to take such action.

The flashing speed signs just mentioned by my hon. Friend offer a valid way to reduce traffic speed in such areas and they should be used. However, I am not as opposed as my right hon. Friend the Member for East Yorkshire is to the use of speed humps. They are not needed in some places and should be removed, but they add to traffic calming in residential areas. We need to look at all methods of traffic calming, and we should not lose the contribution that speed humps make.
 
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We have heard today about some tragic cases involving fatalities caused by drink-driving or by people using drugs or mobile phones while driving. Drivers who hit and run must be punished most severely, and such matters will be teased out further in Committee, but how do families feel when one of their members is killed by someone who has been caught driving while drunk? When such a person is given a light sentence by the court, we have to ask whether he or she is paying the price for the crime that has been committed.

If no crime has been committed in such an incident, it is clear that the court must be able to respond accordingly, and I am sure that that is another matter for consideration in Committee. We need to look at the penalties that the court can apply, but it must have the power to send an offender to prison in some cases.

We have also heard about cars from eastern Europe. In my constituency, I see many people driving around in cars that are not roadworthy. Often, they are uninsured, and it is frequently alleged that the people behind the wheel are not qualified to drive. I hope that the Bill will tackle that problem. How can such people be prosecuted if they commit an offence that leads to a tragic accident?

I support and welcome much of the Bill. As other Opposition Members have noted, some elements need teasing out in Committee, but any measure that can save a life or prevent the tragic suffering of families who have lost a loved one must be welcomed, and I do so.

4.17 pm

Mr. Tom Harris (Glasgow, South) (Lab): It is a delight to be able to take part in a debate that, so far, has been almost worryingly saturated in consensus. However, I shall try to continue in the same spirit.

I begin by congratulating and paying tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Northampton, North (Ms Keeble) for her contribution today and for the immense work that she has done in previous years as part of the campaign to introduce the new offence of causing death by careless driving, which is included in the Bill. I expressed my reservations about that earlier in the debate, and I look forward to thrashing the matter out at length in Committee. I hope that my hon. Friend is a member of that Committee, as the power that she leant to her arguments will serve her well there.

I also pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Bolton, South-East (Dr. Iddon). His contribution to the debate was one of the most powerful and moving speeches that I have heard during my time in the House.

Keeping with the spirit of consensus, I welcome this very important Bill. I take this opportunity to pay tribute to my own council, Glasgow city council, and in particular to Robert Booth, the director of land services. He has spearheaded the statutory speed limit of 20 mph around every primary school in the city. That system is an innovative departure and, in line with the suggestion from the right hon. Member for East Yorkshire (Mr. Knight), allows the flashing speed limit signs to be switched off during the schools' summer recesses. I welcome that and think that it is an effective use of the new power. I know that the hon. Member for Ilford, North (Mr. Scott) does not believe that the 20 mph limit should be switched off during school holidays, but I am sure that we can discuss that in Committee.
 
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The right hon. Member for East Yorkshire referred at length to his dissatisfaction with traffic humps—so-called sleeping policemen—and I agree with much of what he said. In a previous existence—as well as while being a Member of this House—I found that residents often felt that sleeping policemen were a panacea. They think that if there is speeding in their neighbourhood, they should get some traffic humps. If someone is tragically killed in an accident, the answer is always traffic humps, but it is not always the right answer. The emergency services have grave reservations about sleeping policemen. I might not go as far as the right hon. Gentleman in saying that they should not be used at all, but I think that people have unrealistically high expectations of the effects that sleeping policemen will have on their neighbourhoods.

Paul Rowen: Does the hon. Gentleman agree that one effect of speed humps is an increase in injury for certain people? In my constituency, the local bus company has sought to withdraw bus routes because humps have been put in to an extent that is unacceptable for people who are driving along those routes. Does he agree that we need to investigate alternative solutions?

Mr. Harris: I understand what the hon. Gentleman is saying, although I would be more cautious. I would suggest that, if someone suffers an injury from driving over a road hump or if the vehicle itself is damaged, the driver might be going a bit too fast. About a year ago, a friend of mine in my constituency—an elderly gentleman—complained about a series of road humps in Ardencraig road in Castlemilk. He told me that they were a waste of time. I said, "Why's that?" He said, "When my daughter's driving me to my house in the afternoon we have to slow down and it takes ages." So, perhaps road humps are more effective than the right hon. Member for East Yorkshire suggests. Of course, individual situations require individual solutions.

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