The communications challenges for the UK’s new road safety strategy

This week the government announced plans for its long-awaited updates to the road safety strategy, with a number of changes that will affect motorists.  

While we will have to wait to autumn for the full strategy to be published, proposed plans show that the focus will be on some of the biggest issues on our roads, such as drink and drug driving.  

The changes have been broadly welcomed by road safety groups, but it appears there may be some areas that could be overlooked when the full detail of the strategy is released.  

We take a look at what is set to change when the new updates come into force, and the challenges road safety organisations will have in communicating and implementing effective road safety PR strategies to ensure the changes are recognised and understood.  

Reducing the influence of drink driving 

The alcohol limit for motorists in England and Wales is expected to be brought in line with Scotland’s limits, reducing from 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath to 22 micrograms. 

Drink-driving is a major contribution to deaths and injuries on UK roads, with latest figures from the Department for Transport, revealing that there were over 6,300 drink-drive related casualties, including 260 deaths, in 2023 – showing an increase in the percentage of these types of road casualties over the last ten years. 

While there are numerous seasonal campaigns happening every year to try and tackle drink-driving, particularly over the Christmas period, these trends show that the message is still not landing with motorists, who may incorrectly calculate what they can drink within limits, or may not even realise they are over the limit the next morning. So these reductions could be a positive step in moving drivers closer to not risking any alcohol before they get behind the wheel. 

Bringing older drivers into focus 

Another change is for regular mandatory eye tests to be brought for drivers 70 or over. Currently, everyone over 70 needs to renew their driving licence every three years, and have to self-report if they have any problems with their eyes, without needing to show any proof.   

The new change would bring the UK in line with most other European countries, requiring proof of regular eye examinations. It would also mean that drivers over 70 who fail an eye test could be banned from driving.  

This new policy has been brought to light following a series of deaths on UK roads caused by drivers with failing eyesight who were still driving.  

This is a tricky policy to message, as many drivers over 70 will still be safe to drive, and may feel unfairly targeted if there is a risk to losing their independence. However, positioning this as a wider health campaign that encourages all drivers to ensure they have good eyesight and are fit to drive could be a way of ensuring all drivers, and road users, are as safe as possible. 

Getting tough to improve road safety 

Tougher penalties and easier processes are also being considered under the changes, allowing police to bring prosecutions for drug-driving using roadside saliva tests, rather than blood tests – which are expensive, time-intensive and impractical to implement based on limited resources at police stations.  

Drug-driving is a growing issue, as we found through our work on a road safety PR campaign with charity IAM RoadSmart, which showed year-on-year increases of collisions, casualties and convictions related to drug-driving.  

Rehabilitation for drug-driving has not been given the tailored approach it needs compared to other offences, such as drinking and speeding – which have a much lower reoffending rates than drug-driving. It needs its own messaging and approach to tackling offenders – this is an even more complicated issue when legal drugs, such as prescription medicines, are also taken into account. 

Through regular campaigning and media relations, as well as growing support from charities and not-for-profits, drug-driving is now being given focus alongside other substance issues, such as alcohol.  

How have people responded to changes in road safety policy? 

As an automotive and road safety PR agency, we have years of experience campaigning for change and promoting road safety initiatives, so we think it is great to see the government taking proactive steps to make improvements. All of the current suggestions seem to offer practical solutions to issues that have been long overlooked.  

That being said, a lot of the measures seem to bring policies in line with other countries – showing the UK as a follower rather than a leader in turning the figures around on road casualties. 

It’s been interesting to see the industry response so far, which has generally been positive. For example, the fleet sector has generally been welcoming of the changes, with Paul Hollick, chair at Association of Fleet Professionals, saying that reduced alcohol limits would ‘remove the dangerous grey area’ of trying to count units, and that any law to address declining eyesight would make it easier for fleets to enforce.  

However, the updates don’t address changes that some groups have been calling for, such as bereaved parents who have been campaigning for graduated driving licences for younger drivers.   

While all these changes are still part of a consultation process, it’s clear that the government will have a challenge with its messaging no matter what they put forward. Expectations are high, and as reported in the BBC, ‘ministers believe that the current safety messaging is not working’. 

Many charities and groups have been calling for a strategy for over a decade, and a bold one at that – one that goes far enough in addressing worrying trends on road safety and issues that affect vulnerable road users.  

The opportunity for road safety organisations 

With road safety laws in the UK set to face the biggest shake up in over a decade, now is key time for road safety organisations to amplify their message and call for the change they want to see in the new strategy. 

To find out more about our work on road safety, or how we might be able to help with your automotive campaign efforts, feel free to get in touch for a chat.