2. What discussions has the Cabinet Secretary had with the UK Department for Transport on revisions to the Highway Code? OAQ52992

I'm sure the Member will appreciate that the highway code is not devolved and it is, of course, still the responsibility of the UK Government. But my officials do meet regularly with the Department for Transport's officials on road safety and active travel matters, and they'll look to work with them on their review of the highway code.

The UK Government announced in October that it is going to review the highway code guidance on how road users should behave in relation to cyclists and pedestrians. And it's going to highlight the dangers of close passing and encourage people to adopt the Dutch reach—a method of opening a car door with the hand furthest from the handle, to force drivers to look over their shoulders for passing traffic. I think these are very welcome developments. So, what can the Welsh Government do to help highlight these guidelines, which I think would be easy to adopt, as long as people know about them and do follow them? And what can the Welsh Government do to raise awareness about these with people in Wales?

I think Julie Morgan raises a really important point. Although I consider myself something of a competent cyclist, one of the things that I worry about most when I'm cycling in an urban environment, or indeed when I'm running where there are no pavements, is the possibility that somebody will open a car door, particularly when I'm cycling. And this is something of a constant concern. Now, if I'm feeling that as a competent cyclist, I imagine that the concern is even more intense for a beginner. And, so, I have to say I'm very impressed by the number of responses to the consultation that is taking place. I believe that there are more than 14,000 responses to the consultation, which followed the call for evidence from the Department for Transport, and what is called the 'Dutch reach', I think, has been raised by a significant number of people. I'd be keen to see the Dutch reach approach adopted within the highway code, but I'm also keen to look at other areas to improve cyclists' safety on the roads, including, for example, Operation Snap that has been exercised by police forces in Wales. They were the first to pioneer a new approach to processing dashcam recordings of dangerous driving, which includes dangerous passing, and what it enables them to do, through management on an all-Wales basis, is to advise drivers when they are not driving safely and also to penalise them when they are proven to be driving unsafely or when they are not paying due attention, or due regard, to cyclists on the roads. 

So, I think the Dutch reach is another component, and another, if you like, weapon in our armoury in improving road safety, particularly for cyclists. And, given that we are soon to invest record sums in active travel, I think an intervention through the highway code of this form would complement our financial and investment interventions. 

There are concerns, Cabinet Secretary, that electric vehicles could cause more accidents on our roads due to being so quiet. Do you think there is a need for a revision in the highway code in this area?

I think there possibly is a need for revision, and I think manufacturers themselves are rightly looking at ways, because of the lack of sound, of course—and a lot of pedestrians, particularly pedestrians who will perhaps be using their phones, inappropriately it has to be said, because we should all pay due attention to what's happening around us when we're walking on the roadside—. Manufacturers are taking the issue seriously of the lack of noise emitted from electric vehicles, and, working through the Wales Automotive Forum, I'm keen to make sure that, as we see the number of electric vehicles rolled out on Welsh roads, they're rolled out in a way that ensures that passenger and pedestrian safety is maximised, and that includes, of course, cyclists.