A new era for road safety: government unveils ambitious strategy to save lives

After more than a decade without a clear plan for cutting deaths and injury on Britain’s roads, the government has launched a bold new Road Safety Strategy. Scotland and Wales continue to have their own strategies for road safety, but this is in the first time in 10 years that there is a plan covering policies which affect the whole of Britain.

With approximately four people dying every day and thousands more seriously injured each year, this strategy could mark a turning point in how we approach road safety across Great Britain.

We have been liaising with the Department for Transport on their development of the new strategy since 2024 with an aim of securing policies which make cycling safer.

Last year we provided government with a suite of policy ideas for inclusion in the document – many of which we have called for many years. We were pleased to see a good number of our recommendations appear in the new strategy.

Ambitious targets

Perhaps most significantly, the strategy sets two clear targets by 2035: a 65% reduction in people killed or seriously injured (KSI) on GB’s roads, and an even more ambitious 70% reduction for children under 16.

These targets, based on 2022-24 data, represent a significant commitment to protecting the most vulnerable road users and reversing a worrying trend: while Britain once led Europe in road safety, we’ve slipped from third to fourth place as progress has stalled over the past decade or so, since the Cameron government scrapped targets in 2011.

A Safe System approach

At the heart of the strategy lies the Safe System approach, something Cycling UK and road safety charities have long promoted. This approach recognises that while human error is inevitable, deaths and serious injuries are not.

Rather than placing sole responsibility on road users, this approach demands that our entire transport system – from road design to vehicle technology – is built to protect people when mistakes happen.

Supporting road users

The strategy introduces several measures to help drivers stay safe throughout their lives. Government wants learner drivers to benefit from a proposed minimum learning period of three or six months, giving them more time to develop crucial skills before taking their test.

This addresses the alarming fact that drivers aged 17-24, while representing just 6% of licence holders, are involved in 24% of fatal and serious collisions.

While this proposal looks like it falls short of our recommendation for graduated driver licencing we will look into the details and respond to the government’s call for views. In addition, there is likely to be a consultation on a proposed policy that could see novice drivers having stricter alcohol limits than experienced drivers.

For older drivers, mandatory eyesight testing for those over 70 is proposed, alongside exploring cognitive testing options. The government also promises to overhaul motorcycle training and licensing – crucial given that motorcyclists account for 21% of road deaths despite making up only 1% of traffic.

A groundbreaking National Work-Related Road Safety Charter will pilot measures to protect professional drivers and riders, addressing the fact that approximately one in three road fatalities involve someone driving or riding for work.

Harnessing technology

Technology offers unprecedented opportunities to improve road safety. The strategy proposes mandating 18 new safety technologies in vehicles, including advanced emergency braking and intelligent speed assistance – measures estimated to prevent more than 14,000 KSIs over 15 years.

In another proposal that Cycling UK has previously called for, a new data-led Road Safety Investigation Branch will analyse collision patterns and systemic issues, moving away from investigating individual incidents to understanding broader trends.

Crucially, the strategy commits to linking police collision data with healthcare records, enabling deeper insights into what causes serious injuries and how to prevent them.

Safer infrastructure and stronger enforcement

With £24 billion allocated for road maintenance and improvements between 2026-30, infrastructure investment forms a key pillar. Updated guidance on setting speed limits and in the Manual for Streets will help local authorities design roads that prioritise vulnerable users like pedestrians and cyclists.

On enforcement, the strategy tackles persistent problems head-on. Proposals include lowering the drink-drive limit (unchanged since 1969 despite Britain having the highest limit in Europe), introducing penalty points for not wearing seatbelts, and new powers to immediately suspend licences for suspected drink or drug drivers.

A selective consultation on reviewing some specific motoring offences falls short of the comprehensive review that Cycling UK has called for but promises to ensure penalties reflect the harm caused and act as effective deterrents.

Partnership and accountability

Success depends on collaboration. A new Road Safety Board will provide strategic oversight, while an Expert Advisory Panel will bring frontline insights from local authorities, emergency services, and road safety organisations.

Safety Performance Indicators will be introduced to track progress – aiming to ensure that the strategy delivers real change rather than remaining words on paper.

While welcoming this ambitious strategy, government still has much work to do to turn promises into action which saves lives and makes our roads safer and more welcoming for cycling.

Alongside the new strategy government has published five consultation documents, asking for opinions on the detail of some of the policies, such as on eye tests for older drivers and minimum learning periods for learners.

Cycling UK will continue to play the role of an expert, looking into the details and being a critical friend to DfT as it moves from words to action. We have already renewed our call to educate people on the rules and increase awareness of how the Highway Code changed four years ago.

People first need to know the rules of the road before they can follow them, so we are urging the government to kickstart its ‘lifelong-learning approach’ by investing in a major new road safety awareness campaign; the first step towards safer behaviour on our roads.

The new strategy looks like a hugely positive step in the right direction, and we will be communicating with our members and supporters in the coming weeks to equip them to advocate for safer cycling and for the safety of all road users.