Key announcements include:
- New national targets to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on roads in Britain – 65% reduction by 2035.
- Life-saving vehicle safety technology to be fitted as standard for all new cars.
- Consultations on important new measures to reduce risks associated with young and older drivers, and motorcyclists, as well as tougher penalties for driving offences, and lowering the legal alcohol limit for driving.
Responding to today’s announcement, Brake’s CEO Ross Moorlock said:
“This new Road Safety Strategy to tackle the unacceptable level of road death and injury on our roads marks a turning point. For the first time in 10 years, road safety is back on the national agenda. We welcome a new framework and commitment to action to prevent crashes and injuries, and save lives, but we urge the Government to be brave and bold when it comes to the next steps. I respond today, recognising the devastating impact road crashes have on families and communities.
“The UK has made no significant progress towards reducing road casualties over the last decade, and we applaud the Government for setting ambitious targets to address this. Every year, more than 1,600 people die on roads in Britain and a further 28,000 suffer serious, life-changing injuries [1]. The numbers are shocking, but road casualties are not just statistics. Behind every number is a family in turmoil, a grief-stricken family trying to navigate its way through the complex procedures that often follow a road crash. Behind every number is a family whose lives have been changed forever in an instant.
“Every year at Brake, we support more than 2,000 families who have been bereaved or injured in a road crash through our National Road Victim Service, so we see first-hand the trauma and devastation that follows a road death or injury for everyone involved.
“We urge the Government to view this strategy through the eyes of those families: through the eyes of every parent, grandparent, child, brother, sister or friend whose life has been torn apart in the aftermath of a road crash. A new Road Safety Strategy is an important first step, but its success depends on what happens next. Consultation must lead to evidence-based action to ensure the Government’s bold ambition is realised, with tangible outcomes that save lives and prevent more families from experiencing devastating loss.
“Road deaths and injuries are not inevitable. They are preventable tragedies. The good news is that we know the solutions that will make the biggest difference.
“The Government has set out a clear commitment to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on Britain’s roads by 65% by 2035, and to reduce child road deaths and serious injuries by 70% over the same period. This must now be matched with long-term action for maximum impact to prevent crashes and save lives. Every death or injury on our roads is one too many.
“We welcome the news today that the Government is considering important measures to address the risks associated with young drivers, including a minimum learning period before taking a driving test. We agree this is an important first step towards strengthening our current licensing system. We are also delighted to see the Government commit to life-saving vehicle safety technology, such as intelligent speed assistance and automated emergency braking, being fitted as standard on all new cars. Brake has long campaigned for action on these two important areas [2].
“We also welcome proposals for tougher penalties for driving offences, including drink-driving, and a reduction in the legal drink-drive limit to align England and Wales with Scotland and the rest of Europe. We are pleased to see that the Government is considering mandatory sight tests for drivers aged over 70, and reforms to motorcycle training and testing, and we look forward to having the opportunity to feed into these important consultations.
“We applaud the launch of a national pilot to address work-related road risk, and recognition that around a third of road deaths involve someone driving or riding for work. Alongside others, we will continue to raise awareness of the risks associated with driving for work, and through our annual awards programme we will celebrate the hard work and dedication of fleet organisations that are striving to prevent road deaths and injuries and reduce pollution caused by their vehicles.
We welcome the publication of this Road Safety Strategy, its bold ambition, national targets and a clear desire to ‘do the right thing’ to address the unacceptable levels of death and injury on our roads. This is an important step forward for road safety in Britain.
Ross Moorlock, CEO, Brake
“While this strategy signifies a major step forward, there are areas where we believe greater impact could be achieved.
“First, the inclusion of a Road Safety Investigation Branch in the strategy is a very welcome addition. Drawing on linked police and healthcare data to identify the root causes of road crashes, and target interventions more effectively, is exactly the kind of systemic learning we need. This sits firmly within the post-crash component of the Safe System approach to road safety and will undoubtedly help prevent future tragedies.
"However, post-crash care is about more than investigation. It’s also about supporting the families whose lives are devastated by road crashes. That commitment is missing from the strategy, and addressing it is vital. For too long, road victims have lacked parity with other victim groups.
"Excellent services exist, like Brake’s National Road Victim Service, which provides specialist, trauma-informed care to more than 2,000 families every year, but services like ours operate without central government support, relying on fragmented and insecure funding.
"A truly comprehensive strategy would close this gap by committing to sustainable, nationwide provision for road victims. Scotland has shown leadership with dedicated investment in road victim support, and this is an approach that should now be matched nationally. We welcome the announcement that the Ministry of Justice will consult on a new Victims’ Code in due course. Our Road Victims’ Charter demands essential actions to ensure that everyone affected by road crashes receives the respect, support and justice they deserve, and we look forward to having the opportunity to engage with this consultation.
“Secondly, while we are pleased to see the Government opening consultations about a minimum learning period for learner drivers, we are particularly concerned that they have not made a firm commitment to additional measures to address young driver risk. Every year in the UK, nearly 5,000 people are killed or seriously injured from a crash involving a young driver, with young, newly qualified drivers at particular risk when carrying peer-age passengers and driving at night [3]. We implore the Government to go further, and provide clarification about what more they can do to strengthen the licensing system, as there is clear and undeniable evidence from other countries that this would be effective.
“Last, but by no means least, we consider the apparent absence of national speed management measures to be a grave oversight. We know from the latest Department for Transport casualty statistics that speed is a factor in almost three-fifths of road deaths, whether that’s drivers breaking speed limits or driving too fast for the road conditions [4]. Mandating vehicle safety technology such as intelligent speed assistance and automated emergency braking will go some way to mitigating the risks associated with driver speed, but further national measures will be absolutely essential to meeting the Government’s targets to reduce road death and injury.
“In conclusion, we welcome the announcement of this Road Safety Strategy, its bold ambition, national targets and a clear desire to ‘do the right thing’ to address the unacceptable levels of death and injury on our roads. This is an important step forward for road safety in Britain. However, the overall success of the strategy will depend on effective delivery and continued dialogue to refine areas that remain underdeveloped, such as post-crash support, young driver risk and speed management.
“We invite the Secretary of State to engage in further dialogue, and we look forward to having the opportunity to engage with the consultations, meet and discuss the new strategy, contribute to expert advisory panels, consider the evidence base, and work in collaboration to shape the detail that is needed to turn her commendable ambition into successful outcomes.”
Notes for editors
For more information or to arrange interviews with Brake representatives, please contact the Brake news team on news@brake.org.uk or call 07931 915023.
References
- Department for Transport (2025) Reported road casualties Great Britain, annual report: 2024 and supporting data sets.
- https://www.brake.org.uk/how-we-help/campaigning-for-change
- Department for Transport (2025) Reported road casualties in Great Britain: younger driver factsheet, 2024
- Department for Transport (2025) RAS0701: Reported road collisions and casualties by severity, road safety factors and road user type, Great Britain, 10 years up to 2024
