Written questions by Downie.

What requirements to differentiate between male and female physiology car manufacturers must fulfil in safety testing.

For the majority of vehicle safety testing, it is not necessary to differentiate between male and female physiology to deliver the desired outcome. For example, where a force is required on a brake control or to release a seat belt buckle, that force will be set well within the physical capabilities of most males and females. However, there are some contexts in which differing injury thresholds between the sexes is important. For this reason, the latest international vehicle regulation covering frontal impact protection uses crash test dummies representative of both male and female occupants. The Government is currently considering mandating this regulation as part of an extensive package of vehicle safety measures.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 January 2024 to Question 21874 on Motor Vehicles: Lighting, when the independent research started; which organisation is undertaking the work; and if she will publish the terms of reference for the research.

The research started in October last year and is being carried out by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL). There are no plans to publish the Terms of Reference for the research, but further details can be found on the TRL website. https://www.trl.co.uk/news/trl-works-with-dft-to-understand-more-about-the-causes-of-glare

What assessment she has made of the safety of LED headlights on (a) cars and (b) other vehicles.

National collision statistics, which can record headlamp dazzle as a contributory factor, do not show any discernible trend to suggest that advances in lighting technology are contributing negatively to road vehicle collisions. However, noting increased public concern, Government has commissioned independent research to better understand the root causes of headlamp glare and develop potential countermeasures. This work is underway and is due to deliver in summer 2025.

What steps she plans to take to increase awareness of the changes to the hierarchy of road users in Highway Code Rules H1 to 3.

Following a review of the Highway Code in 2022, the Department introduced a hierarchy of road users, which ensures that those who can do the greatest harm have the greatest responsibility to reduce the danger or threat they may pose to others.Communications to raise awareness of the changes were launched via a factual awareness raising campaign in 2022. This was followed by broader behaviour change campaigns in the summers of 2022 and 2023, to help embed the changes and encourage understanding and uptake of the guidance. Over £2.4 million has been spent on media across the campaign, utilising channels such as radio, digital audio, video on demand and social media advertising.Campaign outcomes included 86% of road users having heard of the changes by September 2023, and 9 in 10 of those who recognised a campaign advert saying they had taken action as a result.We continue to promote The Highway Code changes on THINK! and Department for Transport social media channels and via our partner organisations. We continually review allocation of communications spend across road safety issues based on the latest insights and evidence.