Ensuring road infrastructure is safe is one of the key themes to come from the Government’s new Road Safety Strategy launched today.

The Department for Transport has said it will publish a new edition of the best practice guidance ‘for local authorities Setting Local Speed Limits’ and also update separate guidance on the use of speed and red-light cameras. It also plans to:

● Explore whether the proposed rural roads categories are appropriate at a local level and assess their potential for national application
● Support PRIME pilot trials in new regions
● Publish an updated Manual for Streets and embed it within the planning policy and guidance framework.

The strategy said that in 2024, 1,602 were people killed on Great Britain’s roads. In the same time period, 27,865 people were seriously injured. The reports states that Great Britain is now fourth in the league of safest countries in Europe, down from third in 2024 in what it describes as a ‘lost decade with no progress’. It also said that an estimated £6.9 billion in lost outputs had been calculated as a result of collisions in 2024 as well as £264m in estimated police costs. The strategy document also mentions that drivers are six times more likely to be injured on rural roads v motorways.

It also makes the case that evolving technologies must be harnessed to ensure roads are safe, such as:

● Automated and connected vehicles
● Advanced Driver Assistance Systems
● New vehicle types such as e-scooters/bikes.

The strategy sets the ambition to see a:

● 65% reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured on roads in Great Britain by 2035, using a 2022–2024 baseline.

● 70% reduction in the number of children (under 16) killed or seriously injured on roads in Great Britain by 2035, using a 2022–2024 baseline.

The strategy also said that the government must ensure that, as far as possible, road users are, and remain, equipped for a lifetime of safe travel on the roads.

Whether walking, cycling, working on the roadside, riding a motorcycle or horse, driving a car, or using newer modes of transport such as e-scooters, every individual deserves to feel safe and supported. This means recognising the diverse needs, abilities, and experiences of road users, and designing systems that protect everyone, said the strategy.

A Safe System approach requires responsibility to be shifted away from individuals and towards a transport system that anticipates mistakes and reduces the risk of serious injuries. Supporting all road users involves improving education and awareness, designing inclusive infrastructure, and ensuring regulations and policies reflect the realities of how people move, said the strategy.

The strategy outlines actions that enable safer active travel, through education, enforcement, better street design, and technology that protects pedestrians and cyclists from human error. In 2024, 31% of all fatalities were pedestrians and cyclists.

It said that the government is committed to supporting councils to provide high-quality, easily accessible active travel schemes across England and is enabling more children to walk and cycle to school. £300 million funding was made available for active travel in 2024/25 and 2025/2652.

Further to this, the government has allocated £626 million to councils through Active Travel England (ATE) from 2026-27 to 2029-30 for walking, wheeling and cycling schemes.

Since 2022, ATE has supported councils with design advice and planning. This support will expand to include updated design tools and a new pre-application and local plans service – helping ensure safety and accessibility are built in from the start to new developments.

RAC road safety spokesperson Rod Dennis said:

“We’ve long said the dial needs to be turned up when it comes to reducing road casualties, so we warmly welcome this strategy – and especially the reintroduction of casualty reduction targets, that were scrapped 16 years ago.

“The simple truth is that this strategy can’t come soon enough. Britain might have some of the safest roads by international standards, but on average four people are still killed and 76 seriously injured every single day. That’s an unacceptable number of lives being ruined or cut short.

“The strategy addresses many areas we know drivers are concerned about, including drink and drug-driving, ‘ghost’ plates and dazzling headlights. The inclusion of a commitment to consult on the use of alcohol interlocks for convicted drink-drivers – which are internationally proven to save lives – is particularly encouraging, especially given the extent to which drivers are supportive of their use. It’s also positive to see proposals on the table for both improving young driver safety and tackling the scourge of uninsured drivers who push up motor insurance costs for everyone.

“It’s important to remember the ultimate success of any new or updated penalties or laws will depend on awareness among drivers and enforcement. But undoubtedly this strategy is a real chance to give the whole topic of road safety the focus and public attention it deserves. What we need now is for it to quickly evolve into a set of concrete actions that make the roads safer for everyone.”

The Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation (CIHT) has welcomed today’s publication of the Department for Transport’s first Road Safety Strategy in more than ten years – a landmark moment for improving safety on Britain’s roads.

The new strategy sets ambitious targets, including a 65% reduction in those killed or seriously injured (KSI) on the roads by 2035, and a 70% reduction in child KSIs. It places the internationally recognised Safe System approach at the heart of government policy and reinforces the Hierarchy of Road Users first established in the Highway Code.

CIHT has long championed both approaches, and their inclusion marks a significant alignment between government direction and CIHT’s policy recommendations.

Sue Percy CBE, Chief Executive, CIHT, said:

“This long awaited Road Safety Strategy represents a bold and necessary step forward. We are pleased to see the UK Government embed the Safe System approach and a clear hierarchy of road users – principles CIHT has consistently advocated for. These measures will help save lives, reduce harm, and ensure the UK leads the way in delivering a safer, more sustainable transport system for all. We look forward to working closely with the Department for Transport to turn ambition into action.”

Commenting on the publication of the Road Safety Strategy, a spokesperson for the Lock Out Drink Driving Campaign said:

“Today’s commitment to a new Road Safety Strategy is a very positive step in the right direction. For far too long, governments have shied away from recognising that more needs to be done to protect lives on UK roads. 

“The Government’s decision to consult on preventative technology, such as alcohol interlocks, is the right decision, but it needs to be bold in delivery if it is going to save lives. 

“Alcohol interlocks are tried, tested and proven. They do not need to be a future fix; as Americans, Canadians and Australians already know it’s a solution that works that we can implement now.

“Drink-driving continues to have a deeply devastating impact on families and communities across the UK, accounting for 16% of all UK road deaths. This startling number paints a clear picture that the current penalties and offender management are simply not working.”