Road safety progress stalls as National Highways set to fall short of target

Progress in improving safety on England’s strategic road network has plateaued, with new analysis indicating National Highways is unlikely to meet its current government target.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) found that 1,931 people were killed or seriously injured in 2024, a slight rise on the previous year. However, when adjusted for increased traffic levels, the casualty rate remained unchanged at 19.9 per billion vehicle miles—one of the lowest figures recorded outside the pandemic.

Targets under pressure

Despite ongoing efforts, ORR’s latest assessment suggests National Highways will miss its safety target set under the second Road Investment Strategy.

The organisation has delivered 41 of 43 actions in its enhanced safety plan, although some measures are yet to have a measurable impact on casualty figures. Additional actions have also been outlined to bridge the gap between current and future road investment periods.

Need for clearer impact

ORR noted that not all safety factors fall within National Highways’ control, but stressed the importance of clearly identifying where it can make a difference and demonstrating how its interventions improve safety outcomes.

Mixed progress on technology

The report confirmed that stopped vehicle detection systems on smart motorways are performing to required standards. Work is ongoing to evaluate their long-term effectiveness, though more data will be needed before firm conclusions can be reached.

However, concerns were raised about delays to a wider programme to upgrade roadside technology, including:

• CCTV systems

• Incident detection (MIDAS)

• Signs and signalling

The programme is now expected to finish over a year later than planned, raising questions about delivery capability ahead of the next investment period.

Focus on future delivery

ORR has urged National Highways to learn from these delays and demonstrate it can deliver a large pipeline of upgrades more reliably in the future.

Feras Alshaker, ORR’s director of planning and performance, said that while progress is being made, stronger delivery and clearer outcomes will be essential to achieving meaningful improvements in road safety.