The first road safety strategy in over a decade will be published by the Government after saying the number of deaths on UK roads has become “normalised”.
Some 29,711 people were killed or seriously injured (KSI), little change compared to 2022, while there were 132,977 casualties of all severities, a decline of 2% year-on-year.
The DfT data also showed that 75% of fatalities and 61% of casualties of all severities were male.
Transport secretary, Louise Haigh, told MPs on the Transport Committee: “We have started the process to set in place the first road safety strategy in this country for over a decade.
“We’re looking really carefully and taking evidence from other countries where they have Vision Zero to see what’s worked and adopt a whole system approach, because this can’t just be a Department for Transport owned policy.
“It needs to be across Government, whether it be in education or the criminal justice system, to look at the most effective measures.”
Haigh says that the Government will prioritise those measures that are most effective.
“I really think one death on our roads is too many,” she added. “I think we treat road safety in a way, as if it is somehow a natural accident.
“I think if the numbers of people being killed or seriously injured our roads were happening in any other way, we'd be treating it as a pandemic – we have normalised it for too long.”
Haigh also revealed that the Government is considering setting up the country’s first-ever Road Safety Investigation Branch (RSIB).
“That is one of the measures that is being considered as part of the road safety strategy,” she said.
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