Smart Motorways

Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall Excerpts

Wednesday 11th February 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

The raw facts of the cost of collisions and fatal and serious injuries in this country are staggering. It is estimated that over £3.1 billion was spent on medical and ambulance costs due to collisions on our roads last year alone. That is a crucial issue, and of course the lithium battery issue is an important one for our fire and emergency services. There is a lot of misinformation around this space, and it would be useful to have the latest figures updated to see how the fire and emergency departments are coping with that.

[Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall (Lab)]

My Lords, given what my noble friend has just said about the cost of road accidents, particularly accidents on motorways, is she confident that the standards now expected of new drivers and the way in which they are examined ensure that people behave on motorways in ways that are likely to minimise the risk of accidents? It would probably be the observation of some of us that driving standards on motorways have deteriorated quite significantly over recent years, and in the end, it is mostly human beings that cause accidents.