DfT announces nearly £50 million funding for safer roads across England

The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced that drivers, passengers and cyclists across England will benefit from a £47.5 million injection into enhancing the safety of some of the most high-risk roads in the country.

Through the third round of the Safer Roads Fund, 27 new schemes will be delivered, benefiting road users around the country by driving forward safety improvements, such as re-designing junctions and improving signage and road markings. The programme will reduce the risk of collisions, in turn reducing congestion, journey times and emissions.

As part of the Safer Roads Fund, the UK government, working with local authorities and safety groups, is continuing to deliver a wide range of improvements across all roads. To date, £100 million has been provided through the programme to improve the fifty most dangerous roads in England, the majority of which are rural roads. Some of the improvements that have already been made include improved signage, safer pedestrian crossings and better designed junctions.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said:  “Britain’s roads are some of the safest in the world, but we are always looking at ways to help keep drivers and all road users safe. We’re injecting £47.5 million so that local councils around the country have the support they need to keep everyone safe, while reducing congestion and emissions and supporting local economies.”

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The allocation of £47.5 million to 27 different schemes has been based on data that has been independently surveyed and provided by the Road Safety Foundation. The data analysed is based on a road safety risk, looking at data on people who have been killed and seriously injured alongside traffic levels.

According to Road Safety Foundation analysis, early estimates suggest that the £47.5 million investment should prevent around 760 fatal and serious injuries over the next 20 years, with a benefit to society of £420 million. 

Dr Suzy Charman, Executive Director of the Road Safety Foundation, said: “The commitment and funding announced today (6 April 2023) is transformational for road safety teams in local authorities across the country. It will allow them to proactively reduce risk and make these 27 roads safer and more inviting for all road users.”

This additional investment builds on the government’s plans to recruit a specialised team of inspectors to build the country’ first ever Road Safety investigation Branch. The team will look at how and why incidents happen and build an enhanced understanding of how collisions can be better mitigated.