On the importance of subjective perceptions of safety. Limits of the 2026 UK road safety strategy

Abstract

This short article offers a critical assessment of the UK Government’s 2026 Road Safety Strategy (RSS). While the strategy sets ambitious targets for reducing road fatalities, we argue that it is unlikely to achieve its broader objective of promoting active travel and reducing the indirect harms associated with motor traffic. Although the RSS acknowledges wider forms of harm, including physical inactivity and air pollution, its proposals fail to address the factors that most strongly shape pedestrians’ and cyclists’ perceptions of safety: traffic speed and volume, vehicle size, and the availability of safe infrastructure. Instead, the strategy prioritises measures targeting specific driver groups and the adoption of new vehicle safety technologies, interventions that largely protect vehicle occupants while doing little to encourage walking and cycling. We also highlight the absence of meaningful commitments to traffic calming, segregated cycling infrastructure, wider pavements, or a national ban on pavement parking. We conclude that by neglecting simple, evidence-based interventions that can improve both objective and subjective safety, the RSS risks missing an important opportunity to support active travel and reduce the broader harms caused by motor traffic.