- 50+ organisations and individuals sign joint letter calling for latest vehicle General Safety Regulation updates to existing GB Type Approval Scheme.
- Regulations would make life-saving features such as advanced emergency braking and driver-drowsiness-detection mandatory for all new cars sold in the UK.
- They would also improve crash performance, thereby improving protection for women and the elderly in the event of a crash.
- Research by Brake shows 63% of drivers are willing to pay more for safety features that would protect themselves and their passengers.
- Experts predict full package of measure could prevent 1,700+ deaths and 15,000 serious injuries and save up to £7 billion in health costs.
The consensus letter, led by Brake and AXA UK, and signed by more than 50 other organisations and individuals, including the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS), the AA, RAC and Honda, is a direct request to the new Transport Secretary to adopt the latest vehicle General Safety Regulation updates to the existing GB Type Approval Scheme.
The regulations, which were implemented in full across Europe two years ago [1], would play a significant role in improving road safety, helping to prevent crashes and protect drivers and their passengers, as well as other road users such as pedestrians and cyclists.
As well as mandating driver assistance features such as intelligent speed assistance, advanced emergency braking and driver-drowsiness-detection systems, the regulations also cover key measures that improve vehicle crash performance and will significantly improve the protection of women and the elderly in the event of a collision.
More than 30,000 people are killed or seriously injured on UK roads every year – the equivalent to all the inhabitants of a medium-sized town dying or suffering catastrophic injuries every year. As well as the trauma created by this level of road harm, the societal and economic cost of road harm amounts to an astonishing £43.5 billion every year. [2]
It has been estimated that adopting the full package of measures in Britain, could prevent more than 1,700 deaths and 15,000 serious injuries over the next 16 years, saving up to £7 billion in health costs. [3]
It is vital that the Government adopts these measures to prevent more families having to go through what ours has
Meera Naran, road safety campaigner and mother of Dev Naran
Meera Naran, road safety campaigner and mother of Dev Naran who was eight years old when he was killed in a road collision on the M6 near Birmingham, said: “Dev was in a stationary car when a lorry collided with it. Advanced emergency braking – which is a system that makes a vehicle automatically brake if a person steps out in front of it or a vehicle in front stops suddenly – could have saved Dev’s life. It is vital that the Government adopts these measures to prevent more families having to go through what ours has.”
Research conducted by Brake and AXA UK in 2023 showed that 63% of drivers are willing to pay more for safety features that would protect themselves and their passengers. More than two-thirds of drivers also said that intelligent speed assistance, advanced emergency braking and driver-drowsiness detection should be mandatory for all new vehicles in the UK. [4]
Ross Moorlock, CEO of Brake, said: "Every single road death or injury is as devastating as the next for the families and communities affected, and we see this first-hand through the work of our National Road Victim Service, which every year supports more than a thousand bereaved or seriously injured families.
"For years, our calls for proven measures to stop road crashes and reduce harm have been ignored. Now, as the new Government is forming, we are hopeful for change.
“We look forward to working with the Secretary of State to support the delivery of safer vehicles that will protect drivers and all road users and, ultimately, improve safety on roads across Britain.
"This request, to adopt the vehicle General Safety Regulation by updating already existing legislation, is a straightforward, effective way to save hundreds of lives and many thousands of serious injuries from road crashes. The UK played a significant role in the development of the Vehicle General Safety Regulation when it was part of the European Union. Now we are calling for recommendations that we have already made a commitment to. This is simple legislation to pass too - all that is required is a signature!"
Alain Zweibrucker, Retail CEO, AXA UK said: “Road crashes claim thousands of lives in the UK every year, so we’re calling on the Government to adopt the Vehicle General Safety Regulations to help significantly improve safety for drivers, passengers and pedestrians alike. Implementing mandatory vehicle safety features such as Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) and Advanced Emergency Braking (AEB) can help prevent crashes and protect road users.
“As an insurance provider, we understand the importance of protecting what matters and AXA remains committed to prioritising road safety and promoting responsible driving habits. These regulations have the potential to prevent many avoidable tragedies on our roads and safeguard lives, which is something we wholeheartedly support.”
Join the call
Any organisations or individuals who would like to add their support to the consensus should email campaigns@brake.org.uk.
Letter signatories and supporters
- Ross Moorlock, CEO, Brake the road safety charity
- Alain Zweibrucker, Retail CEO, AXA UK
- Jamie Hassall, Executive Director, Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety
- Adrian Berendt, Director, 20’s Plenty for Us CIC
- Edmund King OBE, AA President
- Professor Charles Musselwhite, Aberystwyth University
- Karen Blair, CEO, Aftermath Support
- Dan Campsall, Chair, Agilysis
- Wesley Bateson, UK Lead, Aisin RoadTrace
- Dr Neale Kinnear, Head of Behavioural Insights, Aon
- Kealie Franklin, CEO, Association for Road Traffic Safety and Management (ARTSM)
- Sue Percy CBE, Chief Executive, Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation
- James Evans, Founder & CEO, Co-Pilot Group Limited
- Dr Lisa Dorn, Associate Professor of Driver Behaviour, Cranfield University
- Meera Naran MBE, Road safety campaigner and Founder, Dev's Law
- Ean Lewin, Managing Director, DTec International Ltd
- Dr Sam Chapman, Co-Founder, The Floow, and Co-Chair of South Yorkshire Transport Forum
- Gareth Evans, Director of Strategy and Business Development, EMEA – HAAS Alert
- Becky Hadley, Director, Hadstrong PR
- Ian Howells, Executive Vice President, Honda Motor Europe
- Tony Kildare, CEO, I am RoadSmart
- Richard Owen, Director, Insight Warehouse
- Cyrena Lafronte, Policy and Engagement Officer, Institute of Highway Engineers
- Max Sugarman, Chief Executive, Intelligent Transport Systems UK
- Sue Robinson, Chief Executive, National Franchised Dealers Association
- Symon Cook, Head, National Motorcycle Dealers Association
- Heidi Duffy MBE, Shiny Side Up Partnership and National Young Rider Forum Facilitator
- Chief Constable Jo Shiner, Sussex Police, NPCC Lead for Roads Policing
- Rob Heard, Chair and Founder of Older Drivers Forum, Older Drivers Forum
- Professor Gemma Briggs, The Open University
- Sushila Dhall, Chair, Oxford Pedestrians Association
- James Luckhurst, Founder, Project EDWARD (Every Day Without A Road Death)
- Simon Williams, Head of Policy, RAC
- Dr Nick Reed, Founder, Reed Mobility
- Dr Suzy Charman, Executive Director, Road Safety Foundation
- James Gibson, Executive Director, Road Safety GB
- Rob Shearing, CEO, Road Safety Markings Association
- Trevor Hall, Managing Director, Road Safety Support
- Emma Kelly, Development, PR, & Advocacy Manager, Road Safety Support & Trustee, Road Safety Trust
- Steve Cole, Director of Policy, Campaigns, and Public Affairs, The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents
- Irene McAleese, Co-founder & Director, See.Sense
- Matthew Evans, Director of Market Programmes and Chief Operating Officer, TechUK
- Mick Kiely, Fleet Manager, TES 2000 Ltd
- Jonathan Hewett, Chief Executive, Thatcham Research
- George K. Atkinson and Giulietta Galli-Atkinson, Founders/Treasurers, The Livia Memorial Fund & The Livia Award for Professionalism and Service to Justice
- David Ward, Executive President, Towards Zero Foundation
- Dr Adrian Davis, Professor of Transport & Health, Transport Research Institute, Edinburgh Napier University
- Richard Cuerden, Director, TRL Academy
- Ruth Purdie OBE, Chief Executive, UKROEd and The Road Safety Trust
- Professor Richard Rowe, University of Sheffield
- Nikolina Kotur, Head of Market, Nordics & UK, Vianova
- James Dewhurst, Sales Director, Webfleet UKI
About AXA UK
AXA Insurance UK plc registered in England and Wales under registered number 078950 and authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority under Financial Conduct Authority registration number 202312. Registered office is 20 Gracechurch Street, London, EC3V 0BG
AXA UK is part of the AXA Group, a worldwide leader in insurance and asset management, with 149,000 employees serving 95 million clients in 50 countries. In 2021, IFRS revenues amounted to Euro 99.9 billion and underlying earnings to Euro 6.8 billion. AXA had Euro 1,051 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2021.
In the UK & Ireland, AXA operates through a number of business units including: AXA Insurance, AXA Health and AXA Ireland. AXA UK & Ireland employs around 10,000 staff.