Road users across Stroud are set to benefit from the Government’s new Road Safety Strategy, the first comprehensive plan in more than a decade to reduce deaths and serious injuries on Britain’s roads.
Last year alone, an average of four people died every day on England’s roads, with many thousands more seriously injured. These tragedies are not inevitable. The new strategy sets out bold, evidence-led reforms to tackle the root causes of road collisions, harness new safety technologies, and ensure enforcement keeps pace with modern risks.
The strategy commits to reducing deaths and serious injuries on Great Britain’s roads by 65% by 2035, and by 70% for children, using a 2022–2024 baseline.
Key measures in the strategy include:
- Tougher action on drink and drug driving, including consultation on lowering the drink-drive limit
- Mandatory introduction of cutting-edge safety technologies in new vehicles
- Improvements to driver training and testing, including a proposed minimum learning period for learner drivers
- Updated speed limit guidance and investment in safer road design
- The establishment of a new Road Safety Investigation Branch to learn from collisions and prevent future harm
Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander, said: “Every life lost on our roads is a tragedy that devastates families and communities. For too long, progress on road safety has stalled. This strategy marks a turning point. We are taking decisive action to make our roads safer for everyone, from new drivers taking their first lessons to older motorists wanting to maintain their independence. The measures we are announcing today will save thousands of lives over the coming decade.”
Dr Simon Opher MP welcomed the announcement, saying: “Too many families in Stroud and across the country know the pain that follows serious accidents on our roads. We can and must do better. This Road Safety Strategy will save lives, protect vulnerable road users, and ensure the high standards of safety that local people rightly expect.”
The strategy sets out action across four key areas:
Supporting road users
- Consultation on a minimum learning period for learner drivers
- Mandatory eyesight tests for drivers over 70
- Reforms to motorcycle training and licensing
- New national guidance on road safety education and lifelong learning
Harnessing technology and innovation
- Mandating 18 new vehicle safety technologies
- Establishing a Road Safety Investigation Branch
- Linking collision and healthcare data to improve prevention
Making infrastructure safer
- Updated speed limit guidance and revisions to the Manual for Streets
- Support for rural road safety pilots and PRIME trials for motorcyclists
- £24 billion investment to maintain and improve roads
Strengthening enforcement
- Consultation on lowering drink-drive limits
- Penalty points for not wearing seat belts
- Action to tackle illegal number plates and uninsured driving
- A new Roads Policing Innovation Programme
The Government will work closely with local authorities, police, and industry partners to deliver these reforms and make roads safer for everyone by 2035.
