Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of undertaking a public awareness campaign to encourage more drivers to replace (a) faulty and (b) broken indicator lights.

Modern vehicles are fitted with a mandatory tell-tale lamp to indicate whether the direction indicators are functioning properly. Statistics show that there are on average 146 collisions per year where defective lamps and indicators were considered to be a contributory factor. Direction indicator lamps are routinely checked at the annual MOT and the police are empowered to stop vehicles with defective lamps. Annex 6 of The Highway Code contains information on vehicle maintenance and makes it clear that special care should be taken to ensure that lights are working and are kept clean and clear.

THINK!, the Government’s flagship road safety campaign, prioritises budget where it can have most impact on reducing deaths and serious injuries, based on reviewing audience attitudes, statistics and alignment with issues that are prioritised by the police, such as drink driving and speeding. The campaign focuses on young men aged 17-24, who are four times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on the road than drivers aged 25 and over.

We continue to adapt and evolve our campaign strategy based on data and insight and support a wider range of road safety messages via our partners and brand channels.