A new investigation branch dedicated to learning lessons
from road traffic collisions, including those involving
self-driving vehicles, could be established under plans being
unveiled by the Government today (Thursday 28 October).
The Department for Transport (DfT) has launched a consultation on
proposals to set up a Road Collision Investigation Branch (RCIB),
which would operate much like the similar independent bodies that
already exist for air, maritime and rail accidents.
An RCIB would carry out thematic investigations and probe
specific incidents of concern to establish the causes of
collisions and make independent safety recommendations to help
further improve road safety across the country.
The consultation is being launched now due to the huge
developments which are taking place across the transport sector,
such as the roll out of increasingly automated and electric
vehicles.
Roads Minister Baroness Vere said:
“The UK’s roads are among the safest in the world but we’re
always looking at ways to make them even safer.
“A new investigation branch would play a huge role in this work
by identifying the underlying causes of road traffic collisions
so we can take action to prevent them from happening again.
“It would also provide us with vital insight as we continue to
modernise our road network to ensure better, greener and safer
journeys.”
Director of the RAC Foundation Steve Gooding
said:
“After excellent progress across many years, sustained road
safety improvement has been hard to achieve over the past decade,
both in the UK and further afield.
“We should be challenging ourselves on whether we are
understanding all we can about the causes of road collisions and
what could be done to prevent them – our research to date
suggests that more could be learnt - which is why today’s
consultation is so important and so welcome.”
The consultation, which has been published on GOV.UK, will run
until 9 December.
Independent bodies are longstanding features of accident
investigation practice in the UK. The Air Accidents Investigation
Branch (AAIB) has been operating since 1915, while the Marine
Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) and Rail Accident
Investigation Branch (RAIB) have operated since 1989 and 2005,
respectively.
Contact Information
Alex Collins
alex.collins@dft.gov.uk
Notes to editors
- In June 2018, DfT and National Highways jointly funded the
RAC Foundation to undertake the Road Collision Investigation
Project (RCIP). While the final project report is expected to be
published by summer 2022 the substantial volume of RCIP work to
date, which has been shared with Ministers, firmly supports
establishing an RCIB.
