Road Safety GB has put its support behind a new road safety manifesto aimed at parliament.

It sets out four life-saving priorities for the next government to implement.

This comes after over a decade of no targets and a plateauing of improvements to road casualty figures.

Mapping out safety

The Road Safety Manifesto has been coordinated by the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS).

It calls for immediate and strategic action to address the persistent issue of road fatalities and serious injuries in the UK.

Leaving the EU has also added to the need for an effective British response to continuing unacceptable road deaths and injuries.

United front

There is support from more than 33 leading organisations, including Road Safety GB.

This ‘manifesto’ outlines four strategic priorities aimed at ‘revolutionising’ road safety and significantly reducing fatalities and serious injuries on UK roads:

  1. Developing a National Road Safety Strategy – Implement a Safe System Strategy focused on prevention, protection, and post-collision response, coupled with evidence-based targets and robust safety performance indicators.
  2. Establishing a Road Safety Investigation Branch – An independent body modelled after existing transportation safety branches to analyse road incidents and provide actionable insights for preventing future tragedies.
  3. Introducing Graduated Driver Licensing – A progressive licensing system to support young drivers by limiting high-risk driving situations, a measure proven to reduce fatalities by up to 40%.
  4. Adopting Advanced Vehicle Safety Regulations – Immediate implementation of the world-leading vehicle safety standards, mandating critical technologies such as Automatic Emergency Braking and Intelligent Speed Assistance.

 

Price of reality

Every day, five people die on UK roads, with more than 30,000 individuals killed or seriously injured annually.

The social and economic costs amount to a staggering estimate of £43.5 billion annually.

This means that even small investments could reap huge rewards for the British taxpayer, both personally and financially.

James Gibson, executive director of Road Safety GB, admits that road safety issues are “complex and multi-layered.”

Gibson believes this clear manifesto for politicians and government can make a real, practical difference.  It focuses on four key measures that aim to make a difference.

“The road safety community is full of dedicated professionals who strive to work together to improve safety. Having strategic direction and national policy on key issues will be essential to make sustained progress going forwards.”

Accelerating efforts

PACTS is urging the incoming government to prioritise these strategies within the first 100 days of office.

“These four simple measures will be the building blocks,” states Jamie Hassall, executive director of PACTS.

“When we have strong leadership and a strategic approach the UK has managed to half the numbers of road deaths in a decade but since 2010 the focus was lost and daily road deaths have remained at five a day.

“Investing in road safety is not just a moral duty but it’s good for peoples’ health and wellbeing, the environment, business, and the country.”

Other signatories include The Road Safety Trust.

Ruth Purdie OBE, chief executive of The Road Safety Trust, said: “Data shows that road casualty figures have plateaued over the last decade, something which we all recognise is unacceptable.

“This manifesto aims to push road safety up the political agenda, highlighting the measures needed to strengthen efforts to achieve a road network with no deaths or serious injuries.”