Harry Dunn's family welcome 'major' road safety changes outside US bases

The family of Harry Dunn have welcomed major changes to road safety outside US bases in the UK, announced in a letter to the family from the Transport Secretary.

Harry was killed outside RAF Croughton on 27 August 2019 following a head-on crash with a car driven on the wrong side of the road by US citizen Anne Sacoolas.

Sacoolas fled the UK 19 days after the crash, sparking a major transatlantic diplomatic row.

After negotiations with the Crown Prosecution Service, she pleaded guilty to a charge of causing death by careless driving.

She was given an eight-month suspended jail sentence for her crime.

The incident raised questions over diplomatic relations with the US and around safety at US bases in the UK.

Today, The Transport Secretary, Mark Harper wrote to the Dunn family, pledging to implement several recommendations following a review of safety around two US bases - RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire and RAF Barford St John in Oxfordshire.

The recommendations have not yet been published, but it's understood the changes to road safety around the bases would be significant.

In his letter to the family, Mr Harper said: "It is not enough simply to say something is a tragedy and that we must learn from it. It is not enough to identify and publish the lessons. We must ensure that the learning gives rise to real and sustained change."

He continued: "As you are aware, in 2020 my Department commissioned the Road Safety Foundation to conduct a road safety audit. They examined roads around a number of military bases including those in the vicinity of RAF Croughton and RAF Barford St John.

"In light of their recommendations, I have decided my Department will provide the necessary funding to implement all recommendations in respect of these two establishments where the work required does not fall within the planned expenditure of the local highway authorities.

"As parents who have suffered the loss of a child due to a road traffic collision, and who have campaigned for change, I wanted to make you aware of our commitment before communicating with other parties."

Speaking on behalf of the family, spokesman Radd Seiger said: "As well as ensuring that justice was done for their son, Harry’s parents also embarked on a project after he died to ensure that what happened to them never happens again.

"A major part of that has been to improve road safety outside US bases in the UK, the British government having conceded unbelievably that this had never been done before."

"We have been working closely with officials at the DfT behind the scenes who have been wonderfully supportive. The project started off originally focusing on the infrastructure only but is now being extended to review the education and training US personnel undergo before they touch a set of keys, as well as enforcement when they break our laws.

"We were determined that Harry’s death would not be in vain and that we left him a legacy.  The American government have indicated that they have no wish to play a part in that, despite several invitations from us, so we will carry on working with the British government without them."

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