Get a grip: Why 2025 must be the year we stop tolerating road deaths

As we step into the new year, it's time to confront a devastating truth: Five people are killed and over 380 are injured every single day on the UK’s roads. These are not just statistics - they are people. Loved ones. Families. Futures cut short. And yet, we have become astonishingly complacent about this daily carnage.

A double standard of tolerance

In every other area of our lives, we demand action to prevent harm. But on our roads? We’ve accepted a level of risk and harm that would be utterly intolerable elsewhere.

Consider this:

• In the year ending March 2023, there were 244 homicides involving a knife or sharp instrument in the UK - a devastating figure.

• In comparison, 1,695 people were killed on our roads in 2023, a shocking seven times higher.

Both knives and vehicles can be lethal weapons, yet the societal response to road deaths is muted. Knife crime rightly sparks outrage, campaigns, and policy changes. But road harm, which claims far more lives, is often dismissed as the "price of mobility." This must change.

The cycle of complacency

Why have we allowed this tolerance for road harm and crime to persist? I believe there are three key reasons:

1. Eroding roads policing presence - Catastrophic cuts to police forces mean fewer officers on our roads. To a driver, this signals: I probably won’t get caught. This emboldens behaviours like drink driving, using a mobile phone at the wheel and speeding.

2. Weak enforcement measures - Predictable, visible cameras have failed to create a meaningful deterrent. To deter dangerous driving, enforcement needs to feel real, immediate and unavoidable. People need to fear detection.

3. Cultural attitudes - Road crashes are often viewed as “accidents,” implying inevitability or misfortune rather than preventable events caused by dangerous behaviour. This mindset fuels complacency.
   

"We need to get a grip on the complacency that allows road deaths and injuries to continue unchecked. Every life lost or shattered in a road crash is a preventable tragedy, yet we’ve normalised the unacceptable.

"2025 must be the year we demand better—stronger enforcement, smarter technology, and a cultural shift that treats road harm with the same urgency as any other preventable cause of death. The excuses stop here." - Rebecca Morris, Director, Vision Zero Communications

Looking Ahead

I am eagerly awaiting the publication of the Government’s Road Safety Strategy. This document must address the glaring shortcomings in our approach, particularly the urgent need for:

• Increased roads policing - A visible, proactive police presence is essential to deter dangerous driving and enforce the law effectively.

• Stronger enforcement measures - Unpredictable and widespread detection methods must become the norm to make drivers think twice about risky behaviour.

• Harnessing technology- Leverage cutting-edge technology to proactively identify high-risk locations and address dangers before crashes occur. Traditional approaches rely heavily on casualty data, meaning action is only taken after lives are lost or serious injuries occur.

• Establishing a Road Safety Investigation Branch - An independent body, modelled on existing transportation safety branches, should be created to analyse road collisions and provide actionable insights to prevent future tragedies.

• Introducing Graduated Driving Licensing - Graduated Driving Licensing is a multi-stage system designed to gradually introduce young, novice drivers to full driving privileges, with measures focused on reducing risk. This measure has been proven to reduce casualties by up to 40% in countries where it has been implemented.

• Adopting Advanced Vehicle Safety Regulations - Immediate implementation of world-leading vehicle safety standards is critical. These regulations must mandate technologies such as Automatic Emergency Braking and Intelligent Speed Assistance, which save lives.

• Tougher penalties that reflect the severity of road crime - Dangerous drivers who kill should face penalties akin to murder charges; Police should have powers to suspend driving licences immediately following a fatal or serious crash and lifetime driving bans should be given, ensuring that those who kill through reckless actions are never legally allowed to drive again.

• A shift in cultural attitudes - Road harm should be treated with the same seriousness as other forms of violence and crime. Society must stop accepting preventable road deaths as an inevitable part of modern life.
  

The time for excuses is over. By addressing these priorities head-on, we can break the cycle of complacency and ensure that 2025 becomes the year we turn the tide on road harm in the UK. Join us in this important movement. Please get in touch to play your part.