AA: Blue light brigades a threat to road safety
The Automobile Association (AA) believes the use of blue lights by government officials poses a threat to the safety of motorists.
The high-speed convoys has long been mired in controversy, with many calling for them to be banned due to percieved reckless driving by the protection officials.
AA spokesperson Layton Beard says an urgent review is needed into the way the units operate.
“Blue light brigades are, simply put, a threat to other drivers. There is growing anecdotal evidence that PPU drivers are aggressive to other road users, that they speed way above the applicable speed limits, that they swerve dangerously in and out of traffic, and that they disrespect other road users. But the blame is not only theirs; their passengers are as much to blame, if not more so, than they are,” says Beard.
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Beard says government cannot pretend to care about road safety when its own officials do not adhere to the rules.
“If politicians – and members of the cabinet – speak on road safety, and the need to deal effectively with the carnage on the country’s roads, they must also obey the rules and instruct their drivers to do likewise.
"When blue light brigades exceed speed limits, and drive dangerously and recklessly on the country’s roads, the message is that rules don’t apply to them, and the safety of other road users doesn’t matter to them."
