Road Safety Strategy
The government has launched its first road safety strategy in more than a decade with the overarching aim of reducing deaths and serious injuries on Great Britain’s roads by 65% by 2035, using a 2022-2024 baseline.
Although Great Britain has one of the best road safety records, around four people die on the nation’s road network every day while thousands more are seriously injured each year an estimated 1 in 3 road traffic fatalities in the UK involves someone driving or riding for work.
This has prompted the government to launch a two-year National Work-Related Road Safety Charter pilot, which will be monitored and evaluated.
Developed in collaboration with business and industry, and informed by existing schemes, including National Highways’ Driving for Better Business programme, the charter aims to promote good practice and accountability of organisations and their workers.
Covering HGVs, light goods vehicles, cars, motorcycles, e-cycles and cycles, the government has indicated that it will consider pursuing regulatory measures if voluntary engagement is insufficient in reducing work-related road risk.
Other measures the government has put forward in the strategy include cracking down on illegal number plates, including ‘ghost’ plates designed to fool camera systems and targeting uninsured drivers and vehicles without a valid MOT.
The strategy also notes that the government plans to continue to work closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council to highlight the importance of regular police roadside eyesight tests for all drivers, improved training for young drivers and the introduction of mandatory eye tests for older motorists to better protect all road users.
Action is also being taken on significant factors that contribute to road deaths and injuries such as speeding, drink and drug driving, motorists not wearing seat belts and drivers using mobile phones while behind the wheel.
The initiative sets out a range of policies that broadly fall into four themes:
- Supporting road users;
- Taking advantage of technology, innovation and data for safer vehicles and post-collision care.
- Ensuring infrastructure is safe.
- Robust enforcement to protect all road users.
Road safety stats
- 1,602 people killed on Great Britain’s roads in 2024.
- 27,865 people seriously injured on Great Britain’s roads in 2024.
- Approximately 9-in-10 collisions have human driver error as a contributory factor.
- £6.9bn estimated lost outputs due to collisions in 2024.
- £3.1bn estimated medical and ambulance costs from collisions in 2024.
- Six times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on rural roads vs motorways.
Source: UK government's road safety strategy