As a result, the charity is urging everyone to consider their speeding habits when driving. Their recent survey reveals that despite 92% of drivers stating that speed limits are crucial, over a third admit to sometimes or often driving over the speed limit. On top of this, a huge 40% believe that driving a few miles per hour over the speed limit doesn’t make a difference.

Ross Moorlock, Interim CEO, said: “Road death is sudden. It’s traumatic. It sends shockwaves across families, schools, workplaces and communities. Today, five people will be killed on our roads. And tomorrow, another five won’t make it home to their families. And so on, and so on, until we all say ‘Enough!’ and start taking responsibility for each other’s safety on the road.

“The speed we choose to drive at can mean the difference between life and death. Our speed dictates whether we can stop in time to avoid a crash, and the force of impact if we can’t stop. 

“Whoever you are, and however you travel, I urge you to join the conversation and talk about speed. Please talk to as many people as you can to find out why, when five people die on our roads every day, so many of us still choose to drive too fast.”

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Over 130 bus operators outside London will be included in the scheme, which will offer low-cost single tickets from 1st January to 31st March 2023. The project has been backed with £60 million in government funding, with large companies such as National Express and Stagecoach taking part.

Passengers will save nearly a third of the average single fare cost (£2.80), while savings could increase for those living in rural areas that often have higher ticket prices of up to £5.

The government estimates that this will take as many as 2 million cars off the road, reducing congestion and emissions across the country, while saving money for commuters. More travellers using buses will also aid the industry in its recovery from the downturn in passengers during the pandemic.

Richard Holden, buses minister, said: “Brits love buses. They’re the most popular form of public transport in England, making up half of all journeys. So we’re investing £60 million to cap single bus fares at £2 to help families, students and commuters and help get people back on the bus.

“The scheme will also take 2 million car journeys off the road and it’s fantastic to see so many bus operators signing up. So, if you’re in Carlisle or Weston-Super-Mare, Birmingham or Doncaster, make sure you hop on the bus and ‘Get Around for £2’ between 1 January and 31 March.”

The plan is part of the government’s wider Help for Households campaign, which aims to support residents struggling with the cost of living crisis.

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95% of the 38 local authorities surveyed were found to have accumulated the same amount of salt as they did last winter – around 1.4 million tonnes – despite the cost of salt increasing by 10% due to inflation. More than half of councils have pledged to share their salt reserves with neighbouring areas this year, too.

The survey reported that, on average, each local area had access to eight gritting lorries, as well as quad bikes, tractors, and snow blowers to prepare for inclement weather. Almost 80% of councils are also utilising GPS systems to spread salt more efficiently this year, and two-thirds have equipped street cleaners with salt to use on pavements.

Cllr David Renard, an LGA transport spokesperson, commented: “As temperatures start to plummet, councils are ready to work around the clock to grit roads and pavements to make sure that people are kept safe and local communities can get out and about.

“Councils have stockpiled millions of tonnes of salt and are using new and innovative technologies where they can to ensure those areas that are most treacherous are kept clear and safe for use.

“During these cold spells, it is the elderly or those who have a respiratory disease who are more at risk of ill health and in need of more support. As some people may choose to limit their heating use due to the impact of rising energy bills, it is all the more important that people check up on those that may need more help. It could help save lives.”

Nonetheless, preparing for the winter has not come without challenges for local authorities. In addition to rising costs, councils face a deficit of HGV drivers this year; 63% reported difficulties in recruiting and retaining drivers.

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The ‘Travel Like You Know Them’ campaign draws attention to the recent changes in the Highway Code designed to increase the safety of pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders.

The campaign encourages all road users, but particularly motorists, to take responsibility and undertake positive behaviours while on the road; giving space to and protecting those that are at a higher risk.

Launched on the 12th of July, the promotion follows the first phase of the THINK! campaign which began after the Highway Code’s new hierarchy of road users was implemented. According to a recent survey, 87% of people were aware of the changes.

Baroness Vere, Minister for Roads, Buses and Places, said: “People tend to see cycles, lorries and cars on the roads rather than thinking of the person using them – but it could be your family member, friend or colleague.

“We have some of the safest roads in the world but I am determined to make them even safer, particularly as more people choose to walk, cycle and ride for their journeys. This campaign encourages everyone to see the person behind the wheel or handlebars, to build more understanding of others on the road, and help keep everyone safe.”

The recent changes to the Highway Code include clarifying cycle positioning, emphasising the priority at junctions for pedestrians and cyclists, guidance on safe passing distances and speeds when overtaking, and on opening car doors.”

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The RSIB will be comprised of a specialist team of investigators, recruited by The Department for Transport (DfT), who seek to understand why crashes happen and shine a light on how new technology can prevent casualties. 

They will use data from insurance companies, vehicle manufacturers, the emergency services and the NHS to understand why collisions happen and learn valuable road safety lessons. Once trends in the data are identified, they will develop and roll out new road safety interventions across the country. 

The team will also provide valuable insights into how new and evolving technology can improve our roads. They are likely to explore innovations like e-scooters, electric vehicles and driverless cars to ensure any new advancements are deployed safely. 

Similar independent bodies investigating other types of infrastructure including air, maritime and rail accidents already exist. 

The Minister for Roads, Baroness Vere, commented: “We’re establishing the Road Safety Investigation Branch, so we can boost safety for road users even further and also bring safety measures in line with other modes of transport and the future of travel.” 

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “After a steady decline in road deaths up to 2012, for the past decade the number of annual fatalities has sat stubbornly around the 1,750 mark. Whilst the Covid-related cut in traffic meant fewer people killed, post-pandemic we are likely to see the death toll rise again. To get back on a downward course we need to do something radically different which is exactly what this new approach is about.” 

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The new rules are designed to encourage more pupils and parents to walk or cycle to Hotspur Primary School in Heaton. The pilot scheme will run for 18 months starting from the 13th of June, with the roads being closed between 8 – 9:30 am and 2 – 4 pm.

The School Streets scheme hopes to create more pedestrian and cycling zones around the school. However, vehicle access will still be available for local residents, school staff, emergency services and blue badge holders. The public will be able to offer feedback during the first six months of the trial, and if it’s successful, other schools could follow.

Kevin McVittie, headteacher at Hotspur Primary School, said: “The roads around [the school] can become very congested at the beginning and end of the day, so we really welcome the introduction of the School Streets scheme, as it means it will be much safer for our children and much better for local residents.

“The scheme also builds on the messages about healthy living that we give to children in school by further encouraging walking, cycling or scooting to school.”

Similar schemes were introduced in different areas of the UK earlier in the year. In January, two schools in Milton Keynes trialled closing nearby streets for a six month period, in a bid to improve safety and air quality by discouraging car journeys and encouraging walking or cycling.

Meanwhile, other schools are taking a different approach to combat dangerous driving practices. Cartoon cut-outs were placed outside the gates of a school in Plymouth to try and discourage drivers from illegally parking too close to the entrance.

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2020 saw 10 local bridges collapsing completely, and in 2021 this number increased to 17. Of these 17 full collapses, 12 were in Dorset and 5 were in Denbighshire.

The number of substandard bridges also rose again in 2021 to reach 3,211, according to structural surveys. 

It is estimated that the total cost to bring all 3,211 bridges back to acceptable standards would be as high as £1.16 billion. 

The RAC, in collaboration with the National Bridges Group ADEPT, have surveyed over 196 local councils to identify the areas with the highest number of structural damage. The top 5 areas were:

Devon has the highest number of damaged structures in the country with 229 of its bridges below national standards. 

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC, said: “Whilst the increase in substandard bridges year-on-year is not huge, the picture over the last five years looks more like flatlining than sustained improvement, and with the threat of more severe weather events linked to climate change that must be a worry for the overall resilience of our highway network.” 

Council engineering experts warn that there will be a shortage of qualified staff to carry out inspections and bridge repairs.

Kevin Dentith, chair of the ADEPT group, said: “The incidence of bridge collapses that lead to personal injury and traffic disruption is thankfully low but unless more engineers and technicians are encouraged to join the industry and highway authorities receive appropriate funding from the Department for Transport we are at risk of seeing a higher number of bridge collapses than those identified in this year’s RAC Foundation survey.”

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National Highways (previously Highways England) collaborated with Roadcare and Kier on a two-year, £685,000, international competition with the purpose of investigating new road marking products. 

The competition aimed to identify the most successful marking and removal technologies using three key stages: high-speed turntable testing, on-road testing, and removal trials. 

For removals, limited innovation was identified in testing. The current prevailing method, water-pressure blasting, was still found to be the most effective technique. 

Good-removal results, however, are limited to unpredictable variables – underlying surface quality, time, and individual operative skill. Improper removals can raise serious safety issues – leaving behind ghost markings and causing surface damage to roads. 

Test results for road marking technology identified significant developments to wet surface retroreflectivity. It was revealed wet night-time retroreflectivity could be increased to 50 millicandelas (mcd) from the current minimum standard of 35mcd.  

National Highways is likely to make some changes as the competition showed that despite the wide variety of marking technology, the same materials are often used. This universal approach ignores better value solutions, wet/dry weather variables and doesn’t take into account whether the markings are permanent, temporary, heavy or lightly trafficked. 

Stu McInroy, CEO of the Road Safety Markings Association (RSMA), is concerned with the methodology employed by the study. McInroy disputes the on-road positioning of the products during testing and implores that the report fails to reflect correct surface textures and vehicle speeds. He concludes that to make policy changes based on this study would be “irrational”. 

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The on-the-job training system has been created by training provider Seetec Outsource in collaboration with Breedon Group. The partnership hopes that by offering more urban route work, they can tackle the ongoing HGV crisis by attracting young drivers to this career.

According to official government data, the number of people employed as HGV drivers in any industry fell by 53,000 from January 2016 to June 2021.

So far, 30 drivers from across Britain have joined the Urban Driver scheme, which will focus on short-haul journeys in towns and cities that rarely require overnight routes. By concentrating on a better work-life balance, its founders hope they will appeal to anyone who may have previously dismissed traditional HGV work.

Lloyd DeVal, director of sector skills at Seetec, said: “Breedon is a great example of a large organisation that has embraced the flexibility and empowerment that apprenticeships bring to the workplace.

“The Urban Driver apprenticeship clearly demonstrates how apprenticeships are helping to tackle an ageing workforce, the pandemic and changing restrictions following Brexit.”

The scheme will allow its employees to reach a Class 2 licence for vehicles weighing between 3.5 and 32 tonnes in just four to six months.

Seetec also commented that the apprenticeship is now more important than ever as up to a quarter of lorry drivers are expected to leave the industry over the next three years, according to a recent survey of HGV drivers.

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Future developments could involve adding CCTV and wireless technology to the UK’s street lights. This would provide information on speed limits, diversions and traffic alerts, enabling more efficient journey planning.

The trial was part of National Highways’ aim to incorporate technology that can communicate messages more effectively across the network, supporting a wider autonomous vehicle infrastructure. 

In addition to these benefits, the project saw more environmentally-friendly LEDs replace the previous lighting. As well as being greener for the planet, the new bulbs are designed to disperse clearer light.

Lisa Maric, innovations lead for the Midlands at National Highways, said: “These are exciting times as we progress on our ‘digital roads’ journey with the growth of digital technology and the move to electric, connected and autonomous vehicles that will fundamentally change how we use roads in the future.

“National Highways is committed to ensuring we are at the forefront of this digital revolution and are preparing the way for the greener and safer roads of tomorrow.

“Initial trials such as Illuminate will help us identify new innovations, technology and methods to meet our digital goals. We were pleased with how Illuminate performed as a proof of concept and the useful knowledge gained as we continue to plan for the roads of the future.”

Recent technological advancements have allowed this progression in street lighting. The increased bandwidth of 5G internet supports the transfer of more information, while the internet of things (IoT) is set to play an important role in the future of autonomous vehicles.

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