ADAS and Safe System model key to new UK Road Safety Strategy
The UK’s new Road Safety Strategy aims to cut road deaths and serious injuries by 65 percent by 2035 – and it will rely on a combination of advanced driving technology and adoption of the Safe System approach to do so.
Four people were killed on the UK’s roads every day in 2024. To reduce these figures, the Strategy outlines a series of consultations and actions aimed at developing safer roads, vehicles and road users, alongside more effective post-crash responses.
It is underpinned by the Safe System model, which is built on the integration of five key elements:
safe roads
safe speeds
safe vehicles
safe road users
post-crash care
Adoption of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) is also highlighted as vital for increasing safety. The UK government has committed to mandating 18 new vehicle safety technologies, including autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and lane-keeping assistance.
A campaign for the mandatory fitment of AEB has been led by Meera Naran MBE, whose eight-year-old son, Dev, was killed in a 2018 road crash, when a car driven by his grandfather was hit by a lorry. Meera Naran believes AEB would have prevented Dev’s death.
