In 2024, 29,467 people were killed or seriously injured in crashes - just 1% less than in 2023. If the targets are reached by 2035 this would mean around 19,000 fewer people dying or suffering serious injuries on our roads every year.*
While many of the changes being consulted on are welcomed by the AA, the lack of peer age passenger restrictions for new, young drivers is a missed opportunity to save more lives.
Edmund King OBE, Director of The AA Charitable Trust and AA President, said:" This is a positively radical reframing of road safety which is long overdue. 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.
"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. We also endorse the mantra of road safety being a life-long education, not just when learning to ride or drive.
“The reintroduction of ambitious targets to reduce death and serious injury on our roads is a radically positive move that will help keep road safety higher up the agenda.
“It is important that the Road Safety Review covers eyesight tests. The AA advises all drivers to have an eye test every two years, and we welcome mandatory eye tests for older drivers. The likelihood of crashes increases once someone is over the age of 70 and markedly rises for those above the age of 80 to a peak at age 86, with eyesight often a worrying factor.
“Eye tests are free for people over the age of 60 and healthcare professionals advise them every two years given they can help with diagnosis of other underlying conditions.
“At the other end of the spectrum, young drivers are also being looked at with the proposed introduction of a minimum learning period. While this is positive, we feel the government has missed the opportunity to introduce peer age passenger restrictions for new drivers.
“We regularly hear about young driver crashes in which multiple young people are either killed or seriously injured and more needs to be done to address this. We know, from other countries who have introduced such measures, that simply delaying the age at which new, young drivers can carry peer age passengers significantly reduces the number of these crashes and the heartbreak that accompanies them.”
The AA Charitable Trust’s Buckle Up campaign, launched last January, called for not wearing a seatbelt to be an endorsable offence and we are pleased this is included.
Edmund King added: “One year after the AA Trust launched its Buckle Up seatbelt campaign, which called for the introduction of penalty points for those caught not wearing a seatbelt, I am delighted this change will be enacted as part of the government’s new Road Safety Strategy.
“Despite all the incredible technology we now have, seatbelts arguably remain the greatest road safety invention of all, yet almost half of young passengers who die in crashes are not belted. Simply putting your seatbelt on reduces your chance of dying in a crash by around half.
“The introduction of penalty points for not wearing a seatbelt sends a strong message to everyone that buckling up is not optional.”
A new Road Safety Investigation Branch will analyse collision patterns and inform prevention strategies, drawing on linked police and healthcare data to identify root causes and target interventions more effectively.
The strategy also mandates 18 new vehicle safety technologies, including autonomous emergency braking and lane-keeping assistance. This will ensure drivers and road users in Great Britain benefit from access to these cutting-edge technologies and supports growth by requiring manufacturers to meet the same requirements across Europe. This is something the AA has campaigned for alongside Meera Naran since 2022, under Dev’s Law, which calls for adoptions of the General Safety Regulations (GSR) and includes Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB).
|
