Royal Award for The Safer Roads Fund

20 November 2021

The Road Safety Foundation, the RAC Foundation and the Department for Transport have won a prestigious Prince Michael International Road Safety Award f or their “fine example of collaboration” and the “outstanding achievement” of the Safer Roads Fund.
The £100 million Safer Roads Fund was established following a successful pathfinder programme delivered by Road Safety Foundation and commissioned and financially supported by the RAC Foundation and the Department for Transport. The Safer Roads Fund programme focused on treating the 50 highest risk local A road sections* in England with remedial road safety engineering interventions. Together the Safer Roads Fund schemes are set to prevent around 1,450 fatal and serious injuries over the next 20 years. The value of prevention for the schemes is £550 million compared with the whole life cost of treatments of £125 million. The Benefit to Cost ratio for this portfolio of roads is estimated to be 4.4, meaning that for every £1 invested, £4.40 is returned in terms of societal benefit. This demonstrates how road safety interventions can compete favourably with other major transport projects.
In a letter to Dr Suzy Charman, Executive Director of the Road Safety Foundation, His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent said: “I was so pleased when the Westminster Government announced the Safer Roads Fund. The importance of sound investment at local level will provide many long-overdue improvements, not just in the 50 most dangerous stretches of ‘A’ roads in England, but elsewhere too. The innovative approach which the fund has triggered by bringing new methodologies to so many local authorities is indeed a step-change in practice and a huge stimulus to deploying a Safe Systems approaches by many roads authorities.”
Roads Minister Baroness Vere said: “I am delighted our Safer Roads Fund has been recognised for its life saving work. It was designed to prevent thousands of tragedies on our roads, and the Department will continue to work tirelessly on this priority as we move forward.”