Leaders from the police, the NHS, and the transport sector met at the Wellcome Collection this week (Wednesday 25 March) to mark the launch of The Road Safety Trust’s landmark impact report.
The event was a chance for the people behind the UK’s most innovative safety projects to share what they’ve learned and discuss how to stop deaths on our roads. The room was filled with experts discussing everything from new road markings for motorcycles to linking police and NHS data to improve emergency care after a crash.
The launch opened with a video address from Lilian Greenwood MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Local Transport), recognising the Trust’s decade of contribution. This was followed by a keynote from Ruth Cadbury MP, Transport Select Committee Chair, who discussed parliamentary scrutiny of the Road Safety Strategy published in January 202
A key focus in discussions was on how designing for the most vulnerable road users unlocks safety benefits for everyone. Wheels for Wellbeing Campaigns and Policy Manager Dr Kay Inckle highlighted the need for equitable access to active travel, while Transport Scotland Project Manager David McKenzie shared insights from Trust-funded project PRIME, which uses innovative road markings to improve motorcycle safety in rural areas.
The event also addressed the era of autonomous vehicles and digital innovation, featuring Waymo Director of Safety Science and Management Trent Victor and Dr. Lisa Dorn, Director of the Driving Research Group at Cranfield University, who discussed the design of behavioural interventions in an automated world.
In a concluding fireside chat, Jo Shiner KPM, Sussex Police Chief Constable, offered a policing perspective on the shift toward evidence-based prevention. She emphasised the Trust’s role as a vital partner in ensuring future enforcement is targeted and measurable in terms of lives saved.
Lilian Greenwood MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Local Transport), said: “Many of the research programmes and pilots funded by the Trust helped build the evidence base for the government’s new Road Safety Strategy, Britain’s first in over a decade. The Trust has spent ten years proving what collaborative, evidence-led work can achieve. That expertise and commitment will be invaluable as we move forwards with our renewed focus on safer roads for all.”
Paul Steinberg, Deputy Chief Executive of The Road Safety Trust, who hosted the event, said:“Today showed what’s possible when the right people come together – police, policymakers, researchers, practitioners and industry – all focused on reducing deaths and serious injuries on our roads. With the Government’s Road Safety Strategy consultation underway, this is the right moment to celebrate the Trust’s first decade and turn evidence into action. The Trust has built a robust evidence base. Now it must be applied.”
Insights from the Frontline of Innovation
Central to the discussion was the role of Trust funding in bridging the gap between theoretical research and frontline practice.
Professor Tim Nutbeam, Consultant in Emergency Medicine and Prehospital Emergency Medicine at Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, commented:
“Innovation in post-collision care has historically been limited by a lack of evidence and the persistence of long-standing dogma. Our work has shown that by bringing together multidisciplinary teams and applying rigorous science, we can challenge those assumptions and generate meaningful, practice-changing insights. With the support of The Road Safety Trust, this has translated into real-world improvements in how we care for people after a crash, demonstrating that high-quality science not only can be done in this space, but when it is done well it can save lives.”
Dr Phil Hyde, Principal Investigator at the University of Southampton, highlighted the transformative nature of data integration:
“With large grant support from The Road Safety Trust the PRANA programme has achieved a world first proof of concept for regional linkage of police road collision data to NHS ambulance and hospital data. The RST’s support has been utterly transformative and fundamental to enabling this leap forward in road safety data insights. The newly created linked road safety data asset is now in a position to move from regional to national scale.”
