Rebecca Harris, MP for Castle Point, today became a ‘Road Safety Champion’, committing to improve the safety of UK roads in partnership with Brake, the road safety charity.

At an event held in Parliament, Rebecca met with representatives from Brake to learn more about the road safety issues within Castle Point. Brake campaigns to prevent deaths and serious injuries on UK roads and delivers vital services to the families of road crashes victims across the UK.

Statistics provided by the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety and Direct Line show that within the Castle Point constituency, the number of people killed or seriously injured on roads is 22% higher than the national average rate, with motorcycle related casualties being 40% higher than the national average.

Commenting Rebecca said:

“Improving road safety is an important issue and I have campaigned on this subject for many years. Over the past year the Government has introduced tougher sentences for dangerous drivers. Essex Police has made improving road safety a priority and I pleased to see a police presence at Waterside Farm where number plates of interest are routinely being stopped. The DVLA have also committed to getting medically unfit drivers off our roads. Obviously these figures from PACT show that there is more work to be done. It is my hope that by working with Brake, the DVLA and the Police that these statistics can be improved, and our roads can become safer, for both road users and pedestrians.”

Joshua Harris, Director of Campaigns for Brake added:

“I am delighted that Rebecca has declared their commitment to making their community safer by becoming a Brake ‘Road Safety Champion’. Every death and serious injury on our roads is a preventable tragedy and by working with excellent local MP’s like Rebecca, we can make a real difference to road safety across the UK.”