Previous governments saw the need for a Road Safety Investigation Branch (RSIB), but unfortunately, the current government did not continue earlier progress and to a degree, put a stop to the RSIB. I would say this isn’t a party political statement, each government does what they feel they need to do and you can only have what you have the money to pay for.

Whilst the formation of an RSIB, which I imagine would be a department within the Department for Transport (DfT), might be seen by some as a luxury we cannot afford right now, who said an RSIB or a similar function, needed to be a function of government?

Just like electric vehicles, road safety research isn’t new to the UK and in fact, in 1933, the government created a Road Research Laboratory, which became the Transport and Road Research Laboratory, which then became the Transport Research Laboratory, where is 1996, it was privatised and became what we now known to be TRL. TRL today are on the worlds leading transport consultancy and research services with clients in both the public and private sectors. TRL are a not-for-profit and the profits they generate are reinvested back into road safety research.

This is to say that even if we cannot afford or do not see the value in having something officially created as an RSIB, we do need to do more and make better use of external organisations, of which TRL is just one.

Cranfield University are another world leading organisation which excels in the world of accident investigation (I only say accident because their expertise is far wider than just road).

If there are two world leading organisations right here in the UK, there are more and we should make better use of their skills, talents and experience to help shape the future of road safety policy and strategy.

Image Credit: Euroncap.com

Link: https://news.euroncap.com/safertrucksandvans/stv-latest-news/euro-ncap-puts-safety-first-for-europe-s-30-million-van-drivers/s/1c062c41-747e-46ea-b4f8-f623a9ea4b80