PACTS unveils new road safety manifesto

A new manifesto has been launched by the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS)  to reduce fatalities and serious injuries on UK roads.

This comes after a stagnation in road safety improvements since 2010 which has seen the UK fall from being a global leader to lagging behind other nations, with 30,000 people killed or seriously injured on UK roads every year, amounting to a societal and economic cost of approximately £43.5bn each year.

Supported by more than 33 leading organisations, the manifesto outlines four strategic priorities.

Strategic priorities

• Developing a National Road Safety Strategy – Implement a Safe System Strategy focused on prevention, protection, and post-collision response.
• Establishing a Road Safety Investigation Branch – An independent body to analyse road incidents and provide actionable insights for preventing future tragedies.
• Introducing Graduated Driver Licensing – A progressive licensing system to support young drivers by limiting high-risk driving situations.
• 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.

​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 that 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 a day.

“Investing in road safety is not just a moral duty but it’s good for peoples’ health and wellbeing, the environment, business, and the country.”