PACTS Manifesto for Road Safety 2024

By Margaret Winchcomb, Member of Women in Transport

Deputy Executive Director, PACTS

500,000 Road Deaths:

60 organisations call for four life-saving priorities from the Government

On 30th May 2024, the UK passed a grim and shaming milestone: 500,000 people  have died on the roads in Great Britain since records began in 1926*.

During the same period, in context, there have been about 375,000 UK citizen deaths due to warfare since 1926 – a period that includes the Second World War, among many other conflicts.

The Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) has coordinated a groundbreaking manifesto calling for immediate and strategic action to address the persistent issue of road fatalities and serious injuries in the UK. With support, now from more than 60 leading organisations and growing by the day, the manifesto outlines four strategic priorities aimed at revolutionising road safety and significantly reducing fatalities and serious injuries on UK roads.

These are:

1. Developing a National Road Safety Strategy - Implement a Safe System Strategy focused on prevention, protection, and post-collision response, coupled with evidence-based targets and robust safety performance indicators.

2. Establishing a Road Safety Investigation Branch - An independent body modelled after existing transportation safety branches to analyse road incidents and provide actionable insights for preventing future tragedies.

3. Introducing Graduated Driver Licensing - A progressive licensing system to support young drivers by limiting high-risk driving situations, a measure proven to reduce fatalities by up to 40%.

4. Adopting Advanced Vehicle Safety Regulations - Immediate implementation of the world-leading vehicle safety standards, mandating critical technologies such as Automatic Emergency Braking and Intelligent Speed Assistance.

The UK has seen a stagnation in road safety improvements since 2010, from being a global leader in road safety, it is now lagging behind other nations. Every day, five people die on UK roads, with more than 30,000 individuals killed or seriously injured annually, amounting to a staggering societal and economic cost of approximately £43.5 billion each year.

Jamie Hassall, Executive Director of PACTS, said: “These four simple measures will be the building blocks to enable the UK to reduce the number of people who are killed and seriously injured on our roads.  When we have strong leadership and a strategic approach the UK has managed to half the numbers of road deaths in a decade but since 2010 the focus was lost and daily road deaths have remained at five.  Investing in road safety is not just a moral duty but it’s good for people’s health and wellbeing, the environment, business, and the country.

“Having hit this grim milestone of half a million road deaths in Great Britain today, we’re calling for action on these simple, quick wins. They are unanimously agreed across the UK’s leading road safety authorities to be top priorities with the potential to save hundreds of lives and prevent thousands of life-altering injuries over the next few years and put the UK on track to be a world leader again.”

As of Sunday 7th July 2024, ALL new vehicles sold in the EU have to meet new General and Pedestrian Safety Regulations (GSR). These encompass a range of technologies aimed at not only increasing compliance with road rules but also protecting all road users and helping to address gender imbalances in vehicle design.  PACTS urges the incoming government to prioritise the introduction of GSR and the three other strategies within the first 100 days of office to ensure the UK meets international road safety targets and sets a global standard in protecting its citizens.

 

About PACTS

Established over 40 years ago, the UK Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) promotes evidence-based solutions to achieve safe transport for all. PACTS provides independent advice to government, parliamentarians, and PACTS members on road, rail, and air safety issues.  PACTS brings together safety professionals and legislators to identify research-based solutions to transport safety problems with regard to cost, effectiveness, achievability, and sustainability. See https://www.pacts.org.uk/

Press Contact

For more information, please contact Jamie Hassall, PACTS Executive Director, at (+44) 77888 17072, jamie.hassall@pacts.org.uk. 

* This figure does not include deaths in the previous thirty years or those in Northern Ireland. 

The first person killed by an automobile was Bridget Driscoll (UK), who received fatal injuries when she walked into the path of a car moving at 4 mph (6.4 km/h), as it was giving demonstration rides in the grounds of Crystal Palace, London, UK on 17 August 1896. [Guinness Book of Records] 

Signatories to the Manifesto are:

  • Transport Research Institute

  • British Horse Society 

  • National Young Riders Forum 

  • Kerbed It 

  • PsyDrive 

  • Institute of Highway Engineers 

  • Cornwall Council

  • Webfleet

  • Aftermath Support 

  • Road Safety Support 

  • Transafe Network 

  • NPCC

  • Drive Alive 

  • National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA)

  • National Motorcycle Dealers Association (NMDA)

  • Drive Commander 

  • Livia Awards 

  • RAC

  • The Floow

  • See Sense 

  • 20s Plenty for Us

  • Project EDWARD 

  • PACTS 

  • Agilysis 

  • Towards Zero Foundation 

  • Sustrans 

  • ITS UK 

  • Road Safety Foundation

  • CHIT 

  • Transport Research Laboratory 

  • MCIA 

  • Reed Mobility 

  • RAC Foundation 

  • RoSPA

  • Brake

  • Road Safe

  • National Motorcyclists Council 

  • Road Safety GB 

  • UKROEd

  • British Motorcyclists Federation 

  • Safer Roads Foundation 

  • Jacobs 

  • IAM Roadsmart 

  • Co-pilot 

  • Road Peace

  • AA

  • Road safety Analysis 

  • The Bikeability Trust  

  • Living Streets 

  • Road Safety Trust  

  • Thatcham research 

  • Cycling UK 

  • Safer Essex roads partnership 

  • Hadstrong PR


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