Why the Road Safety Strategy doesn’t go far enough
If you died at work, what would the reaction be?
Firstly, your death would have happened despite rigorous health and safety procedures designed to mitigate the risk of harm.
Your colleagues would probably stop working, and there would be a thorough investigation. The Chief Executive would have to prove they did everything they could to keep you safe on behalf of the company.
But if you were killed by a vehicle while walking to walk, what then?
The ‘contributing factor’ of your death would be established, determining whether you could be partially blamed for your death (1). Did you cross the road without looking? Were you wearing headphones? The council might consider lowering the speed limit on the road, perhaps re-designing the street if funding was available.
People would talk about your death as a sad, but inevitable, part of life.
You are six times more likely be killed or seriously injured (KSI) walking two miles at work than at work itself (2).
So, are deaths on our roads an accepted cultural norm, and does the UK Government’s first Road Safety Strategy since 2019 provide the necessary systemic change to turn the tide?
Yes and no.
Between 1975 and 2025, the Netherlands achieved an 80% reduction in road fatalities and 95% fewer road deaths of children using policy measures like 30kph zones, residential streets where pedestrians and cyclists have priority over cars and the Dutch Safe System approach. In 2026, the UK adopted its own Safe System Approach aiming to reduce KSIs by 65%, and 70% for children, by 2035 (3).
The strategy, as written, would define ‘success’ as at least 10,000 more people killed and 180,000 seriously injured by 2035. If you told this to any parent who lost their child due to road violence, I’m sure they’d say that’s unacceptable.
At Living Streets, the UK charity for everyday walking, we advocate for Vision Zero – where no one is killed on our roads and pavements by 2050.
The UK’s Road Safety Strategy doesn’t put the onus of road safety onto street design but instead focuses on creating ‘Safe Road Users’ – with policies on a minimum learning period for learner drivers, eye tests for older drivers and lowering the alcohol limit for driving to help prevent causes of collisions. The behaviour of road users is just one part of the Safe System.
Measures to open streets to pedestrians are often met with protest from a vocal minority concerned about inconvenience to drivers.
This has played out with the introduction of 20mph default speed limits in Wales. The policy reduced the number of killed and seriously injured people by 100 in its first twelve months. It saves the Welsh NHS up to £92 million annually by reducing the severity of injuries caused by collisions (4, 5).
Despite its unpopularity in some political circles, similar policies are quietly being adopted across the UK. The Scottish Government has committed to implementing a 20mph limit where appropriate. In England, 62 out of 153 local authorities, including some led by Reform UK who have publicly condemned the policy in Wales, have adopted 20mph limits on residential roads (6).
Despite ‘safe speeds’ sitting as a cornerstone to the Safe System, Westminster will not commit to a 20mph default speed limit in England, instead focusing on providing guidance for local authorities on where such limits are appropriate.
In the meantime, pedestrians are left to fight for space on pavements filled with vehicles parked in their way, bins, advertising boards, electric vehicle charging equipment and even delivery robots.
This matters. Shaping communities where people want to walk and wheel can address some of society’s most pressing challenges. Being active boosts people’s physical and mental health. Creating places where people can spend time together breaks down the barriers of social isolation in an ever more digital world. If we don’t do it for ourselves, surely, we must for children, where enabling streets safe for play and independent travel will shape lifelong habits.
Right now, it’s time to reframe the road safety of pedestrians as an essential right, rather than a nice to have.
Zak Viney (he/they) is a Campaigns and Public Affairs Coordinator at Living Streets, the UK charity for everyday walking.
