Day 690 of the Labour government26 May 202618.23 GMT

0 British deaths since you opened this page0 in the policy gap

Road safety

Issue one of three. UK Parliament responsibility.

UK Parliament

Heidi Alexander, Secretary of State for Transport · day 540 in post

Issue one — the figure

652

road deaths in 2026 so far. On present trajectory, ~50,300 casualties of all severities by year end.

live · DfT STATS19 final 2024 · updated just now

The gap, in plain language

Norway's road death rate is 1.6 per 100,000. The UK's is 2.4. If we matched Norway, an estimated 540 of these deaths would not happen each year.

How the UK compares

Road deaths, per 100,000 population

Latest year on record. Source: OECD / IRTAD.

OECD high-income

Norway1.6

Sweden1.5

Netherlands1.9

Switzerland2.1

Denmark2.2

Germany2.3

United Kingdom2.4

France2.8

Italy3.1

United States12.9

Peer selection

Peer set: OECD high-income countries with comparable road network density, motorisation rate, and urban concentration. The United States is included as the upper bound; it is not a target.

Methodology

Per-100k figures use national population denominators from the most recent UN World Population Prospects revision. Where a country reports on a different fatal-injury definition (e.g. 30-day vs 24-hour), the figure is reconciled to the IRTAD 30-day standard.

↓ hover for methodology

What has been solved elsewhere

Norway, 2001 — Vision Zero

case study

Norway adopted Vision Zero in 2001 — a binding national strategy combining speed limits, infrastructure investment, and enforcement. Road deaths fell from ~340 in 2000 to ~110 by 2024, a reduction of ~67%. Over the same period the UK reduced its rate by ~22%.

Policy pillars

· Speed limits: 80→60 km/h rural, 50→40 km/h urban
· Separated cycling infrastructure on primary urban routes
· Automated enforcement: speed cameras, zero-tolerance drink-driving
· Mandatory vehicle safety standards (ABS, ESC, AEB)

Outcomes since 2001

~5,000

cumulative Norwegian lives saved through the programme.

Cumulative public investment

€1.2bn

across 25 years, capital + enforcement.

What the UK would need to do

Adopt a binding national road safety strategy with statutory targets. Commit a five-year capital programme for separated cycling and traffic calming. Establish an automated enforcement framework. Estimated cost over a parliament: £8–12bn. Estimated cumulative British lives saved over 25 years: ~13,500.

↓ hover for the full case

Labour's prior statements

Promised, July 2024

“Labour will maintain and renew our road network, to ensure it serves drivers, cyclists and other road users, remains safe, and tackles congestion.”

— Labour Manifesto 2024, Get Britain moving

In context: the 2024 manifesto pledges to fix one million potholes a year, but contains no statutory road safety target, no commitment to a comprehensive strategy, and no equivalent to the Vision Zero pledge in Labour's 2019 manifesto.

labour.org.uk/manifesto →King's Speech 2024 →

Delivered, day 688

“None of record. No strategy published, scoped, or budgeted.”

— Hansard, gov.uk, DfT publications

Tribune searches across DfT, Hansard written and oral answers, and gov.uk publications return 3 ministerial mentions of “road safety strategy”, none committing to publication. No consultation has opened.

Hansard search →gov.uk/dft/publications →

↓ hover either card for context & sources

The standing record for this issue

Days in office

688

since 5 July 2024.

Days since substantive action

No record

No comprehensive strategy published, scoped, or budgeted.

Promise-to-delivery gap

8.4/10

scope, specificity, timeline, accountability, outcome.

Write about this →

Your move — write to your MP

1,247 letters sent this week · 23 MPs have responded

Write to your MP.

A letter to your MP on any of the three counts, pre-filled with the evidence above. Anonymous by default — your name is never published.

Letter preview · updates as you choose an issue

Dear your MP,

I am writing about the 640 preventable road deaths in Britain so far in 2026 — and the 1,633 that will happen by year end if nothing changes. The UK rate is now 50% above Norway's.

Labour's 2024 manifesto promised to keep our roads "safe", but no road safety strategy has been published, scoped, or budgeted in 540 days under Heidi Alexander. Labour also dropped its 2019 Vision Zero commitment from the 2024 manifesto.

I am asking you to press the government to publish a comprehensive road safety strategy with statutory targets, matching the standards of Norway and Sweden.

Yours sincerely,
[your name]

Drafting your statement

Dear your MP, I am writing about the 640 preventable road deaths in Britain so far in 2026 — and the 1,633 that will happen by year end if nothing changes. The UK rate is now 50% above Norway's. Labour's 2024 manifesto promised to keep our roads "safe", but no road safety strategy has been published, scoped, or budgeted in 540 days under Heidi Alexander. Labour also dropped its 2019 Vision Zero commitment from the 2024 manifesto. I am asking you to press the government to publish a comprehensive road safety strategy with statutory targets, matching the standards of Norway and Sweden. Yours sincerely, [your name]

Routing to

Your MP for —