High Peak Liberal Democrats

Liberal Democrat candidate Paul Varnsverry says he welcomes the Association of Chief Police Officers' (ACPO) consultation on road safety and is calling for more to be done locally after a high number of deaths on the county's roads so far this year.

Mr Varnsverry said: "More tragic deaths have occurred on Northamptonshire's roads in 2012 to date, than during the whole of 2011. This makes road safety a high priority in our county.

"ACPO's consultation, seeking the public's views on how the police are addressing road safety, is to be applauded.

"Locally, I believe there is much more we must do; in particular in improving driving standards. Education is key to preventing accidents.

" It is important to work with groups such as the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) and campaign groups, such as Brake.

"The insurance industry has ended its premium discount incentive for newly-qualified drivers taking the Pass Plus course. As a consequence, applications have plummeted by almost 30 per cent. They should reinstate the discount.

"By encouraging drivers to take practical steps to improve their driving skills, accidents at all levels of severity could be reduced or prevented. "This is where the IAM and RoSPA have a vital role to play. We must make our roads safer and address the tragic human cost of road traffic collisions."