Five initiatives which display “innovative approaches” to enhancing road safety have been awarded new funding.

The GEM Road Safety Charity made the awards in its latest round of road safety initiative funding.

Since it was established in 1985, the charity has funded many projects which have aimed to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on the UK’s roads.

Flying in support

Among the latest funding recipients is Devon Air Ambulance Trust.

The trust has been awarded £4,500 towards its project to identify and classify injury patterns across different road user types, determining the proportion of injuries deemed potentially survivable by an expert clinical panel.

It will use this information to deliver actionable recommendations for improving road safety and trauma care systems.

Older and wiser

Gloucestershire Older Persons Association (GOPOA) has been awarded £10,000 to assist with stage one of a four-stage redevelopment and relaunch of the Older Drivers Forum.

Meanwhile, FirstCar receives £2,500 to support its collaborative TikTok channel, which is dedicated to educating young drivers about road safety.

Social media has been recognised as an efficient and effective way to influence the attitudes of young drivers and passengers.

Additionally, The Honest Truth (now a part of FirstCar) has been awarded £6,500 to assist in developing coaching skills for driving instructors.

The award-winning scheme provides ADIs with resources and advice to help them provide more effective road safety advice to pupils on lessons, embedding better attitudes before young drivers pass the test.

Practical support

The Queen Elizabeth Foundation has been awarded £10,000 to support the establishment of a driving theory test classroom.

This will support groups of 10 disabled students at a time to learn driving theory in person or remotely.

The Foundation supports almost 10,000 disabled people yearly to achieve their potential and increase their independence.

Successful support

Laura Ward, chair of the charity, said: “We are pleased to congratulate the five successful applicants who have secured funding from the GEM Road Safety Charity. Out of 17 exceptional proposals, these projects stood out for their innovative approaches to enhancing road safety.

“We were impressed by the high standard of all submissions, reflecting the dedication and creativity of those working tirelessly to make our roads safer. We look forward to seeing the results these projects will deliver and are grateful for the opportunity to support such outstanding initiatives.”

A new funding window is due to open in the Autumn of 2025. Further information on a grant application, including a new ‘how to apply’ video and an online application form, can be found at roadsafety.org.uk.