The UK Government is promoting road pricing and congestion tolls which will undoubtedly mean even higher taxes for the average road user. In addition it is likely to involve routine surveillance of your every movement and an invasion of your privacy. The consent of the British people has never been sought for these schemes – typically they are justified on erroneous environmental grounds when the real facts are ignored, and the practicality and enormous costs never debated. For example, the London Congestion Charge has not been a success despite claims from some parties that it has, and is enormously expensive to operate.
The Alliance of British Drivers is a not-for-profit organisation that is owned and controlled by its members. We are independent and simply represent the views of our members who are representative of the mass of road users in the UK. Anyone can join the ABD so as to help to support our aims.
We promote your views to national and local Government bodies, and provide information to our members and the general public. We try to counter the misinformation spread by many people on the use of private vehicles, and we promote freedom of choice about how you travel.
The ABD is also represented on the Road User Panel of Transport Focus — the independent transport user watchdog.
Taxation
Each year the Government raises over £50 billion in taxes from road users and that’s why we have some of the most expensive fuel in Europe. Only a very small fraction of the money raised is spent on improving our roads (about £7bn). The result — you end up sitting in traffic jams.
Road Safety
Road safety policy has become distorted in the UK by anti-car and anti-motorist policies. Speed cameras breed like rabbits so that millions of people now receive speeding fines, but road deaths are not falling at the rate people would like (and at lower rates than before). A whole industry has developed of collecting money from motorists in the name of road safety, when there is no hard scientific evidence for any benefit.
Speed humps have sprouted everywhere causing major problems for people with medical conditions, delays to emergency vehicles, more noise/air pollution, constant annoyance to road users and high costs from vehicle damage. But there is no evidence of any net benefit.
Parking
Parking costs are rising rapidly, and provision falling, as local authorities use it as a “demand management” technique to cut traffic – in reality they just make life enormously inconvenient for the typical motorist. Decriminalised parking regulations and fixed penalty notices for bus lane and box junction infringements erode your basic human rights to a fair hearing, and are often used primarily to raise money by local councils.
The Environment
The use of road transport is being attacked on environmental grounds. But air pollution from private cars has been falling substantially and technology is going to make matters even better over the next few years.
Emissions from all kinds of transport are only a fraction of total air pollutants, and those from private cars an even smaller factor. Unreasonable and unnecessary attacks on car usage will not solve any environmental problems. The people questioning the use of private cars are often unreasonably prejudiced or ignore the facts.
Why You Should Support the ABD?
Private cars and motor-bikes provide the most flexible, and most cost effective transport mode and are used for more than 83% of journeys. Those who wish to stop you using them often have vested interests in public transport or otherwise wish to curtail your freedom. Joining the ABD means you can help to fight these unreasonable attacks. Go to the Membership page for more information.
The ABD campaigns for:
- More investment in roads
- Lower road taxes
- No road pricing or tolls
- Reduced traffic congestion
- Evidence-based road safety
- Improved parking provision
A summary of the key issues for drivers:
Our objective is to provide an active, responsible voice to lobby on behalf of Britain’s drivers. We believe that official policies in recent years, both from the national Government and from local authorities have discriminated against drivers by means of misleading information, obstruction, restriction, delay and taxation.
The ABD was founded in 1992 under the name of the Association of British Drivers and later merged with the Drivers Alliance to form the Alliance of British Drivers, which is the trading name of Pro-Motor Ltd.
We are constituted as a company limited by guarantee (one member, one vote), and we hold an Annual General Meeting and other meetings during the year for members.
A board of directors is elected annually who govern the organisation, supported by an executive committee. The current board members are given below.