Road Safety GB has published position statements on the following road safety issues:

Autonomous/Automated Vehicles

Road Safety GB welcomes the development of these vehicles of the future; however safety must not be compromised to ensure in the years ahead they have the potential to make our roads a safer place for all road users.

Click here to read the full statement

Last updated: 7 March 2022

Powered Transporters (e-scooters)

At present, Road Safety GB is monitoring developments of the ongoing pilot of rental schemes and will analyse the findings when they are published – currently due November 2022.

Should there be a move to make the use of privately-owned e-scooters legal in the coming years Road Safety GB will be urging Government to put safety at the fore when drafting legislation.

Click here to read the full statement

Last updated: 1 February 2022

All Lane Running (Smart Motorways) – England

Road Safety GB supports the Government’s approach to improving the safety of ALR motorways, and the specific measures being introduced.

Road Safety GB believes effective road safety interventions – whether educational, engineering or enforcement – should always be based on robust data-led information and effective evaluation; accordingly, policymaking should be founded on the same principles.

Click here to read the full statement

Updated: 21 January 2022

Child safety

Road Safety GB supports the Government’s promotion of road safety educational resources through the THINK! Campaign targeting specific age groups from 3 to 16 years with relevant material related to children’s learning development.

Road Safety GB also encourages parents to accept responsibility for their actions and their behaviours and how this can impact their children while out and about near the highway.

Click here to read the full statement

Last updated: 23 February 2022

Cyclist safety

Road Safety GB considers cycling to be a healthy and environmentally friendly form of transport. We recognise also that cyclists have the same road user rights as all other road users.

It is crucial that more people are encouraged to take up cycling, however this must be done is as safely as possible. Road Safety GB would like to see all cyclists have the opportunity to receive appropriate training before riding on the roads.

Updated: 20 May 2022

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Daylight saving time

Road Safety GB supports efforts to change to Double British Summer Time giving an extra hour of daylight for people driving home from work and walking home from school during the winter months.

Updated: 27 May 2022

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Drink driving

Road Safety GB’s advice to motorists is – If you drive, don’t drink and if you drink, don’t drive. Road Safety GB also supports lowering the blood alcohol limit.

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Drug driving

RSGB supports the need for carefully constructed strategy to address the drug driving issue. The foundation of this strategy should be based on tapping into expert knowledge in the field, robust data collection of drug drive related collisions through roadside drug drive screening, investigate behaviour patterns of those that chose to drive whilst impaired by drugs and take forward proven educational and publicity interventions.

The ultimate aim should be to make drug driving as socially unacceptable as drink driving.

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Mobile phones

Road Safety GB urges drivers to switch off all mobile phones when driving and encourages the police to increase enforcement of mobile phone offences. Using a hands-free mobile phone can also distract drivers’ attention – the safest course of action is to divert calls to voicemail and switch off the phone or put it out of sight and reach.

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Driving for work

Road Safety GB urges employers to carry out risk assessments and develop effective policies for work-related driving activity, maintain company vehicles in a safe condition and not place inappropriate pressure on their drivers.

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Safe Systems approach to casualty reduction

Road Safety GB fully supports the Safe Systems approach to road safety.

RSGB believes that this proven system creates an environment to reduce further death and injury on our roads by being incorporated into casualty reduction strategies.

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Last updated: 12 January 2023

Young drivers

Young drivers (17-24 year olds), and young men especially, are over represented in road crashes; they are a small number of drivers and are involved in a larger amount of crashes. Younger drivers are up to seven times more likely to be killed or seriously injured compared with drivers over 25, and lack of experience is an important factor.

While welcoming what the government has already done to help address this issue, for example changes to the driving test and introducing the New Drivers Act, Road Safety GB believes the government could do more. In particular, Road Safety GB urges the government to develop graduated driver licensing in the UK based on the experiences from other countries.

We also wish to see the insurance industry being more positive towards new drivers and to find ways of encouraging them to take more supervised practice and post-test development.

Road Safety GB welcomes learners being able to practice motorway driving with an approved driving instructor in a dual controlled vehicle.

Post-test training

 Road Safety GB encourages all motorists to take post-test training to develop effective skills and attitudes. Examples include Pass Plus and advanced driving or motorcycling courses.

Seatbelts

Seat belts are life savers. They can make the difference between life and death in a crash and can reduce the severity of injuries.

Road Safety GB stresses the importance of belting up on every journey (no matter how short) in the front and back of the vehicle, and making sure the seat belt is worn correctly. We recognise the influence drivers can have on their passengers choice to wear a seatbelt; if the driver wears their there is more chance passengers will choose to wear theirs.

Child car seats / restraints
The safety of children in cars is a high priority. It is compulsory for children under age 12, or up to 135cms in height, to use the correct child restraint – either a suitable car seat or booster seat with a back support. Research shows that up to the height of 150cm children would still benefit greatly from using an appropriate child seat.

Road Safety GB urges parents to ensure they, and others who drive their children, comply with the law. Road Safety GB also supports the police in enforcing the law with the hard core of drivers who place children at greater risk by refusing to comply.

Penalties for not using Seat belts
Road Safety GB believes there should be penalty points and a heavier fine for drivers who do not ensure their under-14 year old passengers are wearing seat belts or the appropriate child restraint.

Motorcyclists

Motorcyclists are just 1% of all road traffic but account for 19% of all road user deaths in the UK (THINK!); they are up to 40 times more likely to be killed than car drivers.

Road Safety GB urges motorcyclists to wear appropriate safety gear and ride defensively and calls on drivers to be more aware of motorcyclists and to take longer to look for bikes, especially at junctions and when overtaking, and to give them plenty of room.

Speed and safety cameras

Speed
Excessive speed, i.e. exceeding the posted speed limit, is a contributory factor in road crashes, whilst inappropriate speed for the conditions (below the limit but the wrong choice of speed for the prevailing conditions) also plays a large part in traffic collisions.

Road Safety GB urges drivers to drive at an appropriate speed that is within the limit and appropriate for the situation they are in; the choice of ‘appropriateness’ will change not just day to day but probably minute to minute and be based on time of day, complexity of hazards, presence of other road users, weather and road conditions, etc.

If you hit an adult pedestrian while driving at 30mph there is a 7% chance they may die. Hit a pedestrian while driving at 40mph, their chances of dying rise to 1 in 3 (Department for Transport). Small increases in speed can dramatically affect the injury severity of crash.

20mph limits / zones
Intuitively many people feel 20mph limits applied to roads around school would achieve significant casualty reduction benefit. However, around most schools there is not a casualty problem to solve, as most vehicles are already driving close to 20mph due the obvious complexity of the situation; lots of children, parked cars, etc. In such situations it could just mean drivers passing through at less complex times (e.g. early morning during the summer holidays) are forced to drive well below what could be a safe speed and those who don’t could face prosecution.

Rather than pure casualty reduction, what 20mph limits do achieve is a better environment for pedestrian and cyclists meaning more people perceive the area to be safer which in turn encourages more people to walk and cycle.

There are opportunities to broaden the use of 20mph limits into whole areas called zones. Whilst these require significant investment to ‘traffic calm’ an area they can contribute to helping the safety of the most vulnerable road users, typically pedestrians and cyclists. However, due to the overall cost of implementing such zones many local authorities will be challenged to justify such spending without a clear casualty reduction benefit.

Road Safety GB supports engineered speed reduction initiatives that are designed within a safe systems approach, where measures have been introduced to limit the capability of a driver to drive at inappropriate speeds and speeds above the posted limit.

Urban roads
Urban roads (speed limits of 40mph or below) generally see the most personal injury crashes (all severity) as that’s where most people travel. However, most fatal and serious injuries do not happen on urban roads, even though most vulnerable road users (especially pedestrians and cyclists) are killed or seriously injured in these areas.

These areas have complex hazards (other road users, shared carriageway, junctions, traffic lights, roundabouts, etc.) but comparatively low speeds.

Rural roads
Rural roads (speed limits of above 40mph) generally see most fatal and serious crashes; over half of all fatal and serious crashes happen rural (non built-up) roads.

These areas have similar complex hazards to Urban roads (other road users, shared carriageway, junctions, traffic lights, roundabouts, etc.) and comparatively higher speeds.

Motorways
These areas have comparatively less complex hazards (separate carriageways, separating barrier, traffic moving in one direction, no pedestrians or roundabouts, etc.) but significantly higher speeds. Overall Motorways are the safest roads in the UK as less fatal and serious crashes happen on these roads.

Road Safety GB encourages drivers to slow down and drive at speeds appropriate for the conditions at the time, and supports engineering measures that can make roads safer.

Safety cameras
Road Safety GB supports the use of safety cameras and other technologies which are proven casualty reduction measures. We support speed cameras to encourage drivers to reduce their speed and travel within the speed limit and red light cameras to reduce red light jumping.

Tiredness

Sleep does not occur without warning so drivers know when they are starting to fall asleep and ignoring the signs is placing them and others at great risk. Opening windows and turning music up are not long-lasting solutions to tiredness behind the wheel.

Road Safety GB advises drivers to plan their journeys to avoid times when they are likely to be tired, e.g. a long drive after a day at work, following physical exertion or driving in the early hours. Road Safety GB also advises taking a 15-minute break every two hours and drinking a cup of coffee or a high caffeine drink, allowing 10-15 minutes for it to take effect before proceeding, but this is still only a short term help and the only solution is proper rest.

Distractions

Distraction for all road users (drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists) is a major issue, although rarely is it a specific contributory factor on a Police collision reports, because people rarely admit to it.

When a road user’s attention is divided it is more difficult to be fully aware of the situation and risks, and the ability to make good decisions or perform the primary task safely, such as driving, crossing the road, cycling, etc., becomes more difficult.

Distractions can include obvious things like using a mobile phone or sat nav, but also dealing with children, trying to eat or drink, listening to music and thinking about the purpose of the journey more than the journey itself.

Distractions can be visual (just looking away from the road), cognitive (thinking about other things, contemplating etc), physical (tune the radio, sat nav, texting) or auditory (loud music, hands free conversation).

Road Safety GB encourages responsible road use including the need to minimise distractions. We also recognise the benefit of reducing roadside distractions such as advertising signs and street clutter that may add to a road user’s burden and affect their ability to concentrate.

Road Safety GB supports the ’safe systems’ approach to infrastructure, reducing clutter and ensuring signs are ergonomically designed and easy to understand and read.

Older Road Users

There is no age definition of ‘older road user’ as we each age at different rates, although many noticeable age related effects on road user ability begin to manifest from 65 onwards with particularly noticeable effects often starting from age 75.

As we age we naturally lose some of our ability to do some of the things we used to. As this deterioration happens gradually it’s not always easy for us to spot it so we carry on expecting to be able to deal with situations as we always have. The most commonly affect abilities include eyesight, hearing, ability to react swiftly, memory and flexibility and speed of movement.

A further challenge for older road users is that the ability to recover after a serious injury is compromised with age. Bones become more brittle and tissue takes longer to repair, so some incidents can take on an additional level of complexity for health care professionals.

Road Safety GB is a leading partner in the Older Road User Conference that brings together road safety professionals and those committed to supporting older road users maintain their independence whilst enhancing their safety.

Older Pedestrians
For pedestrians the natural changes may affect our ability to judge distance and speed of approaching traffic, making it harder to asses a safe gap in which to cross. It may also become more difficult to carry out a proper visual scan of the road before crossing at junctions and indeed to be able to cross quickly enough.

Older pedestrians may also be confused by the introduction of new technology, like new style crossing facilities like Puffin crossings, and changes to road layout.

Older Drivers
Research identifies areas of difficulty for older drivers; that is those maneuvers that create most harm for them and others. These key areas especially appear to be ‘making right turns’ and ‘joining fast moving traffic’. It could be that the deterioration in eyesight and the ability to judge the speed of approaching traffic, combined with loss of flexibility in the neck and shoulders to allow body turn to look right and behind, are contributory factors in these problem areas.

The warning signs may be there that abilities are declining in the ‘sudden’ appearance of other road users, the appearance of knocks and dents in car bodywork or the increase in other road users sounding their horn. Should a driver notice such things or have any concerns for their ability then they should discuss them with their GP. It is possible to be referred to the NHS Driver Ability services who work with individuals to assess both cognitive and physical ability and then recommend ways of maintaining their independent road user status.

Equestrian safety

There are in the region of 40.7 million registered vehicles in the UK and an estimated 1.8 million regular horse riders, both of whom share the same right to use the road and with it the responsibilities of using the road safely and courteously.

Click here to read the full statement

Last updated: 3 November 2022