We can’t achieve Vision Zero on our own, say road safety professionals

A growing number of UK road safety professionals are joining forces to tackle road deaths and serious injuries, recognising that however committed and collaborative local efforts may be, they cannot deliver the scale of change needed without leadership and support from national Government.

Vision Zero is an internationally adopted approach that sets a clear, ambitious target: to eliminate all deaths and serious injuries from road traffic. First introduced in Sweden in the 1990s, it has since been adopted by cities and countries across the world, including the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Yet unlike Net Zero—where the UK Government has published a detailed strategy setting out how it will decarbonise the economy by 2050—there is no comparable national plan or legal commitment to eliminate road harm.

In 2023 alone, 1,695 people were killed and over 139,000 were reported injured in crashes on the UK's roads.

"When road deaths and injuries remain this high, we have to ask: where are the Government’s targets to reduce harm—and why is road safety still missing from the national agenda?"

said Rebecca Morris, a road safety communications specialist and campaigner.

"The UK has made a legal commitment to Net Zero, with a national strategy guiding every sector of the economy. But when it comes to road deaths? Nothing. Communities are living in fear—and we need urgent action, clear targets, and national leadership to reduce road harm."

In the absence of a national Vision Zero strategy or UK-wide road safety plan, professionals from local authorities, police forces, fire and rescue services, and charities are uniting through the Vision Zero Community, powered by Co-Pilot—the only dedicated platform for those working to eliminate road harm through a Safe System approach.

While local strategies remain essential, their impact will always be limited without national leadership, coordination, and investment.

The Vision Zero Community plays a vital role in supporting professionals to align their efforts, share knowledge, and build collective strength across regions and sectors.

Launched in September 2024, it now includes around 200 professionals from 80 organisations and provides a first-of-its-kind digital platform—part social network, part professional hub—specifically for organisations committed to helping reduce road deaths and injuries.

"In the absence of a joined-up national strategy, the Vision Zero Community gives us a way to connect and align our efforts,"

said Dr Elizabeth Box, Behavioural Science Consultant at Co-Pilot.

"We are stronger and more effective when we work together."

Current members include professionals from:

• DVSA

• Essex Police

• IAM RoadSmart

• Isle of Wight Council

• Loughborough University

• National Highways

• Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner’s Office

• Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety

• Plymouth City Council

• RAC Foundation

• Road Safety Trust

• Somerset Council

• South Gloucestershire Council

• Southend-on-Sea City Council

• Staffordshire Commissioner’s Office

• Staffordshire County Council

• Staffordshire Safer Roads Partnership

• Stoke-on-Trent City Council

• Surrey Police

• Sussex Police

• Sussex Safer Roads Partnership

• The Honest Truth

• The Instructor Podcast / TCDrive

• The Open University

• Safer Essex Roads Partnership

• TyreSafe

• UKROEd

• University of Sheffield

• University of Southampton

• Vision Zero South West

• Warwickshire County Council

• Warwickshire Police

• West Mercia Police

“Authorities are doing excellent work locally, but we can only go so far on our own,”

added Rebecca Morris.

“This is about creating strength in numbers—and turning our shared commitment into national change.”