If you are hit by a car doing 30mph your chances of survival are 50:50

If you are hit by a car doing 30mph your chances of survival are 50:50. At 40mph, you only have a one in 10 chance,” she said.A Railways Bill will enact last summer’s White Paper by abolishing the Strategic Rail Authority, handing responsibilities to the Transport Secretary. However, Gwyneth Dunwoody, chairman of the House of Commons Transport Committee, said the system sent the wrong message to those who break the limit in built-up areas “The facts for pedestrians are stark. The proposed legislation would mean higher fines for “careless and inconsiderate” driving and for using a vehicle in a dangerous condition.

The Bill would enable courts to order the worst offenders to face fresh driving tests.Police would be given powers to issue fixed penalties to foreign drivers to prevent them escaping punishment. The legislation would aim to clarify which vehicles can exceed speed limits in emergencies.The RAC welcomed a more graduated system of fines for speeding – where the penalty varies with the speed above the limit. As a result of these moves, secondary schools will be allowed to opt for “foundation status” which will give them control of their own buildings.Richard GarnerTRANSPORTTougher penalties for motorists who use mobile phones and flexible fines for drivers who exceed speed limits are among the provisions of a Road Safety Bill. Ministers had let it be known a review was imminent.As revealed in yesterday’s Independent, schools and childminding services will face snap inspections by Ofsted.In addition, a new bill will give head teachers more freedom from local education authorities and cut red tape They will also receive three-year budgets.

However, a growing number of independent schools have in the past year increased the number of bursaries and scholarships they offer to youngsters from poorer homes to underline their charitable aims. About 80 per cent of independent schools currently have charitable status.Last night their leaders said they were “confident” that they could meet any new requirements. They will also get tougher powers to deal with abandoned cars, which has emerged as a major complaint among many communities.In the Commons, Tony Blair said the anti-social behaviour moves, along with those on terrorism and serious crime, were designed to “ensure we have respect and responsibility back on the streets of Britain”.Nigel MorrisEDUCATIONIndependent schools face a review of their charitable status as the Charities Bill will set out a new definition of what constitutes a charity.Under it, all independent schools with charitable status will have to prove their activities “provide a benefit to the public”. Giving the power to the 10,000 English parish and town councils, covering one-third of the country, would mean a significant rise in the number of fines imposed.Retailers who sell spray paint to the under-16s face tough new penalties.Local authorities will be allowed to put gates on alleyways to prevent them becoming havens for gangs and drug-users.

They could be handed out by wardens, rangers or crime and safety officers accredited by the police.District and unitary councils can already hand out fixed penalties. Critics maintain it represents a serious invasion of personal privacy by the state.In the Commons yesterday, Tony Blair disclosed that he supported an eventual move towards compulsion.Nigel MorrisANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOURTeenagers who create havoc in their communities will be “named and shamed” in their local media in the latest crackdown on yobbery.Reporting restrictions on the under-18s who breach anti-social behaviour orders (Asbos) will be lifted in a move that ministers hope will be a powerful deterrent to young tearaways.The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Bill will also give local authorities more flexibility to tackle anti-social behaviour, with parish and town councils empowered to issue on-the-spot fines of up to £100 to litter louts and noisy neighbours. He said: “If the Conservative Party does not back the Bill, it will not progress.”The Bill is a government priority, with ministers planning to introduce the measure before Christmas, with a view to becoming law by the general election expected in May.It will create a national register designed to hold details of everyone living in Britain. The database, the biggest IT project attempted by the Government, will store details such as name and address, plus so-called biometrics such as fingerprints and images of the iris. Mark Littlewood, its organiser, said the Bill’s fate rested with the Tories, who are yet to finalise their position on ID cards. The Bill would strengthen the existing police power to prevent protesters from demonstrating outside people’s homes.The Bill is one of the few pieces of legislation that is likely to become law before the expected general election in May and highlights the importance the Government places on the measures, which are likely to win popular support.Powers to test offenders on arrest rather than when charged is to be contained in the Drugs Bill. The Bill will give the police powers to tackle dealers who hide evidence or claim drugs are for personal use.Jason BennettoID CARDSOpponents of identity cards were planning a guerrilla campaign last night to wreck the flagship Bill in the House of Lords.

Although some Labour MPs will rebel, the party’s majority makes it certain it will pass through the Commons unscathed. But critics believe they can win the support of enough Tory, Labour, Liberal Democrat and crossbench peers to defeat the scheme in the Upper House. Talks have already begun among opponents of all parties on their strategy, with the large number of lawyers in the Lords preparing to raise civil-liberties objections.Mark Oaten, the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, said: “There is a groundswell of opinion in the Lords. That is not an appropriate balance between the liberty of the citizen and the needs of the police.”The Bill extends the powers of community support officers.In addition it will create a new offence of incitement to religious hatred to protect faith groups – particularly Muslims – from hate attacks.Police powers are also to be strengthened to combat harassment by animal-rights extremists against scientific and medical establishments that use animals.