New polling, conducted on behalf of The Road Safety Trust, has found majority support for many key elements of the Government’s National Road Safety Strategy, from eyesight tests for older drivers to minimum learning periods for new ones.
The findings were unveiled yesterday (Thursday 15 October) at the annual UKROEd/NPCC Roads Policing Conference.
The survey was conducted almost 12 months after a similar Trust-commissioned survey which explored public attitudes towards key road safety measures.
That first survey was conducted prior to the Government releasing its National Road Safety Strategy in January. This latest polling indicates that there is significant public support for many of its proposed safety measures and policy changes.
Key findings of the 2026 survey include:
- Four in five (81%) support eyesight tests every three years for drivers aged 70 and over, including 85% of over-75s.
- 73% support suspending a driver’s licence before conviction after a failed roadside drink or drug test. Just six per cent are opposed.
- 45% say too little is being done to reduce the risks for young drivers, broadly in line with last year (48%).
- Half of Britons think road deaths have risen over the last five years. Only 7% think they have fallen, though official figures show deaths have dropped slightly each year since 2022.
Ruth Purdie OBE, chief executive of The Road Safety Trust, said: “Progress on reducing the number of those killed or seriously injured on our roads has plateaued for too long, and the introduction of the Government’s Road Safety Strategy has been a welcome and important step towards a renewed focus on road safety at national level.
“These findings indicate an appetite for bold action and robust road safety measures which have the potential to save many lives on our roads. I hope it gives leaders the confidence that their decisions will be supported by a willing public.”
Strong support for road safety measures
Key elements of the Government’s Road Safety Strategy are popular with the public.
All six road safety measures tested received clear majority public support, including several proposals in the Government’s Road Safety Strategy.
Eyesight tests every three years for drivers aged 70 and over are the most popular (81% support, six per cent oppose). Support holds among older people themselves: 85% of those aged 75 and over back the policy.
Seven in ten (71%) back a phased licensing system for new drivers, with restrictions such as limits on late-night driving or carrying young passengers. Two-thirds (66%) support a minimum learning period of three to six months between the theory and practical tests.
Around six in ten back requiring safety technology, such as intelligent speed assistance, in all new cars (64%), lowering the drink-drive limit in England and Wales from 80mg to 50mg (64%), and a national ‘Vision Zero’ goal of no deaths or serious injuries on Britain’s roads (62%).
Support for these policies spans across voter groups. No measure falls below 57% support among any group of 2024 voters.
Nearly half remain concerned that too little is being done to protect young drivers
Just under half of Britons (45%) say too little is being done to reduce the risks for young drivers, broadly unchanged from 48% in October 2025. Concern rises sharply with age: around two-thirds of over-65s say too little is being done, compared with 30% of 18–24s.
Phased licensing shows the same split. Nine in ten over-75s (91%) support it, compared with under half of 18–24s (49%). A minimum learning period is less divisive, backed by six in ten (61%) of 18–24s.
Strong support for greater action on drink and drug driving
Nearly three-quarters of Britons (73%) support temporarily suspending a driver’s licence before conviction if a roadside test shows they are over the alcohol limit or positive for drugs. Support is consistent among regular drivers (75%) and non-drivers (70%).
Around half (49%) think new drivers who passed their test in the last two years should face a lower alcohol limit than other drivers. That rises to 54% among 18–24s, the group most affected. A further 45% want a lower limit for professional drivers while working.
Most think the current minimum bans for drug-driving are about right. But views are split on the five-year minimum ban for causing death by careless driving under the influence of drugs: 44% say it is too short, against 43% who say it is about right.
Most Britons are aware that drug-driving deaths are on the rise
Six in ten Britons (61%) think drug-driving deaths have risen, and the official data from 2023 showed deaths linked to drug-impaired driving had more than doubled over the past decade, while data from 2025 showed that drug-driving offences had overtaken drink-driving for the first time.
More broadly, half of Britons (50%) think the number of people killed on Britain’s roads has risen over the past five years, and only seven per cent think it has fallen.
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