The IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) has published its road safety manifesto for the upcoming general election, calling for urgent support from all political parties to promote driver and rider improvement on UK roads.

One of the more radical ideas in the IAM manifesto, which is designed to cut the unacceptable number of road deaths and injuries every year, is a call for high speed rural roads to be part of the driving test as well as for road safety to be part of the national curriculum.

IAM chairman Alistair Cheyne, speaking at the IAM’s annual lunch on Thursday 6 November, said: “In the last five years, more than five-and-a-half-thousand young people have been killed on our roads or had life-changing injuries. Every one of those crashes was avoidable.”

“We need legislation, we need campaigns to nudge people towards better driving behaviour and we need more training interventions – yes from people like us – but also from parents and the community. All of society has a duty to safeguard our young people.”

The IAM also asked the government to play its part by making sure that companies applying for public sector contracts have road-risk policies in place. IAM research shows that only 30 per cent of commercial drivers have ever been offered driver training yet commercial drivers account for a third of all crashes.

The IAM manifesto also covers:

• Protecting vulnerable roads users, including cyclists • greater priority for motorcyclists in transport policy • a call for a national road safety forum • targeted retraining for offenders • continuous learning for motorists; and • an informed debate on keeping older drivers mobile.

The full IAM manifesto can be found online