The UK Government is working on a plan to make roads safer and reduce casualties, following an extended period of neglect with the previous administration. The new Road Safety Strategy will introduce plans for reducing death and serious injury on the UK’s roads. The Transport Committee has launched an inquiry that will examine the ambitions and potential effectiveness of the Government’s new Road Safety Strategy.
The new strategy aims to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on Britain’s roads. It is the first road safety strategy in over a decade and sets out the Government’s intended approach across four different themes: supporting road users, using technology, data and innovation, safer infrastructure and robust enforcement.
The Committee will examine the Government’s proposals and the series of consultations that has been launched under the strategy. The Committee will investigate what measures would be most effective in reducing deaths and serious injuries involving new and novice drivers, and what is the right approach to safe driving later in life.
Transport Committee Chair Ruth Cadbury said: “The number of people dying on our roads recently has plateaued after some years of steady decline, with too many people killed and seriously injured in preventable incidents.
“After a long wait for action to address this, the Transport Committee is pleased to see the Government stepping up with a new strategy. Now we want to explore whether ministers are heading in the right direction to really make a difference.
“Do we have the right level of ambition and the right arrangements in place to realise them? Should more be done to ensure that learner drivers are setting off on the right path, and how do we reduce deaths and serious injuries involving older drivers while still maintaining their independence?
“How should evidence on the relationship between speed limits and safety influence new guidance? What scope is there for road design and maintenance to further improve safety? And what can we learn about the effectiveness of various approaches in other countries?
“These are some of the questions that the Transport Committee’s inquiry will touch upon as we consider a range of perspectives. We will then make recommendations to the Government to best ensure that the Road Safety Strategy achieves its aims and works for all road users.”
The strategy sets targets of a 65% reduction in people killed or seriously injured (KSI), and a 70% reduction in child KSIs, by 2035. The UK Government has said its Strategy is informed by Sweden’s Safe System approach. What other international or UK examples offer the most relevant lessons for reducing deaths and serious injuries?
