Star Comment: Before introducing new driving laws, how about enforcing the ones we have?

Increasing the penalties for driving without insurance also seems fairly uncontroversial, and probably few people would argue that the fine for not wearing a seatbelt should increase, given that it has not kept up with inflation.

We are disappointed that the Government has not seen fit to introduce restrictions on newly qualified drivers, which we would have thought should be far more of a priority than lowering the drink-drive limit. But overall, any measures aimed at making our roads safer are to be broadly welcomed.

The Government is concerned that the long-term fall in the number of deaths on the roads has plateaued in recent years. This is in part due to the sharp increase in the number of cars on our roads has the population has increased, so it is important to keep a sense of perspective.

But last week's triple fatal crash in Dudley reminds us all of the human cost in road accidents, and it is important that the authorities do what they can to make our roads as safe as possible.

But we also think it is reasonable to question whether the problem really is about the stringency of the laws, or whether it is about the resources to enforce them.

The number of traffic officers employed in the region has been slashed since 2010,. partly as a result of officers being redeployed in other, more politically expedient areas. Reports suggest that an increasing number of drivers who flout the laws are going unpunished, and this is the real cause for concern.

While elderly drivers with defective eyesight may well represent a legitimate danger to both themselves and others, cracking down on them while failing to deploy the resources to catch drivers who blatantly flout the law with their irresponsible behaviour is only going to generate resentment, and a feeling that the authorities always go for the soft targets.

By all means tighten the law if it makes our roads safer. But the real, and more difficult issue, is finding the resources to enforce the laws we already have.

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When people decide to become nurses, doctors, or hospital staff, they are doing so for one reason - to help people when they are ill or injured.

They are not signing up to deal with violence or unruly behaviour, nor should they ever be expected to do this. 

So it is with great dismay that we report the number of violent attacks on medical staff has almost doubled, from 2,093 in 2023 to 4,054 last year.

One senior A&E nurse said she had seen colleagues punched and kicked and described how one colleague even had a gun pointed at them. She herself said she had been spat at by a patient, and threatened with an acid attack. And remember, this is from the people they are trying to help.

The Royal College of Nursing says long waits for treatment are making many patients feel frustrated, but really there is no excuse.

Nurses, along with all medical staff, are employed to help the public and deal with illnesses. The full force of the law needs to come down on anyone who subjects them to abuse.