UK road safety campaigners urge government to adopt EU vehicle safety rules

A coalition of road safety advocates, including Brake CEO Ross Moorlock, AXA UK Retail CEO Alain Zweibrucker and road safety campaigner Meera Naran MBE, have formally requested that the UK government adopt the latest updates to the General Vehicle Safety Regulation into the UK’s type approval programme. The regulation, which became mandatory for all new vehicles in the European Union in July 2022, includes advanced safety features such as Advanced Emergency Braking (AEB), Intelligent Speed Assist and Driver Drowsiness Detection.

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In a letter to Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh MP, the group highlighted the urgent need to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on Britain’s roads. Currently, more than 30,000 people are killed or seriously injured on Britain’s roads every year, with the social and economic cost of road damage estimated at £43.5 billion a year.

Supporters say adopting the proposed updates could prevent more than 1,700 deaths and 15,000 serious injuries over the next 16 years, potentially saving up to £7 billion in healthcare costs. The safety features required by the EU regulation are designed to prevent accidents and protect all road users, including pedestrians and cyclists.

Research by road safety charity Brake and AXA UK in 2023 revealed strong public support for these safety measures, with 63% of drivers willing to pay more for features that would protect them and their passengers. More than two-thirds of drivers surveyed supported making intelligent speed assistance, advanced emergency braking and driver drowsiness detection mandatory for all new vehicles in the UK.

The letter also notes that the recent Automated Vehicles Bill has demonstrated the potential for cross-party cooperation on road safety legislation. The signatories call for similar support to pass an update to the General Vehicle Safety Regulation, designed to bring the UK into line with international safety standards and benefit vehicle manufacturers and users.

The signatories to the letter are: Ross Moorlock, CEO of Brake; Alain Zweibrucker, CEO of AXA UK’s retail division; Meera Naran MBE, road safety campaigner and founder of Dev’s Law; Edmund King OBE, President of the AA; and Tony Kildare, CEO of I am RoadSmart.

Photos by @ Lewis Clarke. Reuse permitted under CC BY-SA 2.0 Creative Commons.