Motoring leaders welcome road safety strategy but warn delivery and enforcement are critical
- Perry Richardson
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
Senior figures from across the motoring and road safety sector have broadly welcomed the Government’s newly published Road Safety Strategy, while stressing that its impact for drivers, including those in the taxi and private hire trade, will depend on enforcement and swift implementation.
Local Transport Minister Lilian Greenwood said the strategy set out a clear direction after more than a decade without a national framework. “Our vision with this ambitious Road Safety Strategy is clear: to ensure that people can travel safely on our roads however they choose,” Greenwood said.
She said the human cost of road collisions remained central to the Government’s thinking. “One of the hardest parts of my job is speaking to families who have lost loved ones on our roads and this is something we as a Government are taking action to prevent,” she said, adding: “No family should have to endure that loss, and this strategy sets out how we will work to ensure fewer do.”
Greenwood said campaigners and experts had long called for road safety to be treated as a shared responsibility. “This strategy, the first in over a decade, shows a Government that is not just listening, but leading, and together, we can build a safer future for all road users,” she said.
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The strategy has also been welcomed by The AA Charitable Trust, with its director and AA president Edmund King OBE describing it as a long-overdue shift in thinking. “This is a positively radical reframing of road safety which is long overdue,” King said. “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.”
King highlighted enforcement as a key factor in reducing casualties, saying: “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.” He also welcomed the emphasis on continuous education, adding: “We also endorse the mantra of road safety being a life-long education, not just when learning to ride or drive.”
Supportive comments also came from IAM RoadSmart, whose director of policy and standards, Nicholas Lyes, said the strategy addressed a prolonged lack of progress. “After what can be described as a lost decade in terms of reducing the number of killed and seriously injured on the roads, we welcome the Government’s commitment to ambitious targets and robust policies to make our roads safer,” Lyes said.
He added that the strategy covered the full range of factors influencing road safety. “The strategy focuses on all key aspects including behaviours, training, vehicle technology and enforcement – all of which play a crucial role in keeping us safe on the road,” he said. Lyes also pointed to specific areas of concern for professional drivers, noting: “An emphasis on younger drivers and motorcycle safety is particularly positive,” while stronger action on drug driving would “serve notice that such dangerous behaviours will not be tolerated.”
From the breakdown and motoring services sector, RAC said the strategy could mark a turning point if backed by action. 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.”
Dennis said the scale of the problem remained stark. “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,” he said. He welcomed proposals addressing drink and drug driving, illegal number plates and uninsured vehicles, and described the commitment to consult on alcohol interlocks as “particularly encouraging”, citing international evidence of their effectiveness.
However, Dennis cautioned that success would depend on what happens next. “It’s important to remember the ultimate success of any new or updated penalties or laws will depend on awareness among drivers and enforcement,” he said, adding that the strategy now needed to “quickly evolve into a set of concrete actions that make the roads safer for everyone.”
