Road safety commissioner to be appointed - mayor

Richard Parker said the new role was an "important action" he needed to take

A road safety commissioner will be appointed for the West Midlands, Mayor Richard Parker has confirmed.

He said the role was being created as part of his plan to reduce serious injury or deaths to zero.

It follows a number of recent fatal incidents across the West Midlands, including the collision that caused the death of Aiden Perris in Sutton Coldfield on Thursday.

Mr Parker told BBC Midlands Today the new role was an “important action” that the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) needed to take.

The commissioner would help to inform decisions made about transport infrastructure, including on investment.

Mr Parker said these could include more speed cameras in accident hotspots, highlighting fast driving as an issue in the region.

In a previous statement on road safety, he said it was a “tragedy” that so many lives were lost on the roads and said it “cannot go on”.

“This is an issue that is blighting our region which is why immediate and unwavering focus is needed,” he said.