Former transport ministers have written to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, urging him to swiftly adopt new vehicle safety measures regarded as “the biggest advance in vehicle safety since the seat belt”.

The package of 15 integrated measures includes better direct vision in HGVs, automated emergency braking that detects pedestrians and cyclists, along with intelligent speed adaptation

A letter has been sent to Shapps from former Ministers, include serving MP Sir Peter Bottomley, Father of the House of Commons, and five others from three parties and both Houses of Parliament, highlighting how such a move would benefit both road user safety and the UK auto sector.

While new regulations covering such technologies come into effect for vehicles made in the EU and in Northern Ireland from July 2022, the UK’s own work has stalled.

The package of 15 integrated measures includes better direct vision in HGVs, automated emergency braking that detects pedestrians and cyclists, along with intelligent speed adaptation, and could particularly help avoid serious and fatal crashes and injuries and improve safety for vulnerable road users.

The UK actively supported these measures right up to the moment that it left the EU – two years ago this week – and the Government consulted on new vehicle regulations in late 2021 as part of its Future of Transport regulatory review.

But the Parliamentary Advisory Committee for Transport Safety (PACTS) is now calling for further action, saying the UK now needs to adopt its own regulations, or put the safety of UK road users at risk.

It’s highlighted that adopting this package of measures will benefit the UK automotive sector, which exports most new cars to the EU, where these standards will soon be mandatory.

And it’s stressed that the technologies are integral to the development of connected and autonomous vehicles, and come at minimal cost to the taxpayer or consumer.

Calling on the UK to reaffirm its position as the leader in transport safety globally, MPs said the Future of Transport Regulatory Review is a critical opportunity for the Government to place the UK at the forefront.

David Davies, PACTS executive director, said: “There has been little progress in reducing road deaths and injuries over the past decade (apart from during the 2020 lockdown). Here is a package of measures that would kick start a new chapter. It comes at almost no cost to government or the motorist. We support the call from former transport ministers for the government to at least match the standards that will apply in Northern Ireland. It could demonstrate the UK’s new independence by going further and faster.”