The Government has today announced its first Road Safety Strategy in over a decade, with a plan to reduce deaths and serious injuries on Britain’s roads by 65% by 2035.
There will be new consultations on minimum learning period for learner drivers, eye tests for older drivers, and lowering the alcohol limit for driving to help prevent causes of collisions.
The Government will also consult on lowering the drink drive limit in England and Wales, which has remained unchanged since 1967 and is currently the highest in Europe.
In 2023, one in six road fatalities involved drink driving, but a consultation will explore the use of preventative technology, such as alcohol interlock devices, and new powers to suspend driving licences for those suspected of drink or drug driving offences.
This could mean that, in future, some drink drive offenders might be required to have one of these devices fitted to their vehicle as a condition of being allowed to drive again.
Inexperience behind the wheel is costing lives. Drivers aged 17-24 represent just 6% of licence holders but are involved in 24% of fatal and serious collisions. To address this, the Government will consult on introducing a 3 or 6 month minimum learning period, giving learner drivers more time to develop their skills in varied conditions such as night driving, adverse weather, and heavy traffic.
With the number of older drivers continuing to rise as Britain's population ages, a consultation on mandatory eyesight testing for those over 70 will be launched, while options for cognitive testing will also be developed to protect all road users.
New measures will also target the growing problem of illegal number plates, including 'ghost' plates designed to fool camera systems, while also cracking down on uninsured drivers and vehicles without a valid MOT.
“Every life lost on our roads is a tragedy that devastates families and communities. For too long, progress on road safety has stalled. This strategy marks a turning point," said Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander.
“We are taking decisive action to make our roads safer for everyone, from new drivers taking their first lessons to older motorists wanting to maintain their independence. The measures we are announcing today will save thousands of lives over the coming decade."
Over the past decade, 22 European countries have made more progress than the UK in reducing road fatalities, causing Britain to slip from third to fourth in European road safety rankings.
This strategy therefore set out a new approach to reverse a decade of stalled progress. The bold strategy adopts the internationally recognised Safe System approach, which acknowledges that while human error is inevitable, deaths and serious injuries are not.
Rather than placing responsibility solely on individual drivers, the system ensures that road design, vehicle safety, enforcement, and education work together to protect all road users.
Vulnerable road users remain a key focus. Motorcyclists account for just 1% of motor vehicle traffic but 21% of road deaths, while children from the most deprived neighbourhoods face four times the pedestrian casualty rate of those in the least deprived areas. To address these disparities, the strategy includes consulting on reforms to motorcycle training, testing and licencing; and supporting trials to improve motorcycle safety on rural roads.
An estimated one in three road traffic fatalities involve someone driving or riding for work, prompting the launch of a National Work-Related Road Safety Charter pilot. This will establish a national standard for employers requiring people to drive or ride for work, covering HGVs, vans, cars, motorcycles, e-cycles and cycles. It aims to help businesses in both the public and private sectors reduce work-related road risk by promoting good practice, accountability, and compliance with existing legislation.
Edmund King OBE, Director of The AA Charitable Trust and AA president, said: "This is a positively radical reframing of road safety which is long overdue. We commend the government for its wide ranging and ambitious strategy and ambitious targets which we hope will save the lives of thousands of people.
"Tackling drivers who drive under the influence of drink or drugs, people who don't wear their seatbelts and those getting behind the wheel without insurance are key to reducing road deaths and serious injuries. We also endorse the mantra of road safety being a life-long education, not just when learning to ride or drive."
