A £2.5billion investment in road safety schemes across Britain could prevent more than 17,000 deaths and serious injuries over the next two decades, according to a new report.
The Road Safety Foundation's annual crash risk mapping report revealed the investment would deliver nearly £9billion in societal benefits through reduced casualties on UK roads.
The comprehensive analysis identifies over 9,400 kilometres of high-return roads across 584 routes where targeted safety improvements could make the most impact.
Dr Suzy Charman, executive director of the Road Safety Foundation, explained that the opportunities for reducing death and serious injury "are clear", with potential benefits extending to relieving pressure on an overburdened NHS and social care system.
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Experts have called on Labour to invest £2.5billion into road safety schemes
PAThe report detailed how the proposed investment would be distributed across different road networks with agencies-allocated funds.
The largest portion would be given to England's Major Road Network, covering 4,497 kilometres across 262 routes. England's Strategic Road Network would receive £624million for improvements across 66 routes, while £450million would be invested in other local A roads.
In Scotland and Wales, the investment includes £39million for strategic roads and £72million for local A roads in Scotland, with £122million and £18million respectively allocated for Welsh roads.
The report also found that these investments could deliver an overall benefit-cost ratio of 3.5, meaning every pound invested would return £3.50 in societal benefits.
"The societal loss attributable to road crashes in 2023 was £42billion," Charman noted in the report, highlighting the scale of the challenge.
She added: "We simply cannot accept the level of death and serious injury we have on our roads, particularly when we know what many of the solutions are and that they offer good value for money."
The report suggested examining the broader impacts of road trauma, including its effect on NHS resources and planned surgeries.
Charman questioned whether decision-makers might fear road safety interventions will be unpopular with the public, despite their proven benefits.
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The Foundation called for systematic measurement and management of road risk, particularly where crash density is highest, as seen in England, where the crash density is more than three times higher than average roads in Scotland and Wales.
Charman also pointed out there is currently no dedicated funding stream to address safety on these roads. The report also highlighted the proven success of existing road safety investments through the Department for Transport's Safer Roads Fund.
The £185million already invested through this fund is expected to prevent 2,600 fatal and serious injuries over a 20-year period.
"There is little doubt that the numbers stack up for investment in infrastructure safety measures," Charman added pointing to the visible impact of completed schemes in crash data.
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The Government unveiled further investment for potholes and road repairs in the Autumn Budget
GETTYThe foundation suggested these investments could be tackled over the next five years, with National Highways potentially committing to its suggested portfolio of 66 routes in its next Road Investment Strategy at an estimated cost of £625million.
