Letter from Minister for Roads and Local Transport on the cancellation of the Road Safety Investigation Branch

Baroness Helen Newlove wrote to the Secretary of State for Transport on 28 November enquiring about the government’s outstanding commitment to create a Road Safety Investigation Branch.

In response, the Minister for Roads and Local Transport explained that while the Automated Vehicles Bill introduced measures for investigating road safety incidents involving automated vehicles, the department would not create a broader road safety investigation function at this time.

Letter

9 January 2024

Dear Baroness Newlove,

Thank you for your letter of 23 November to the Secretary of State, about the creation of a Road Safety Investigation Branch. I am replying as the Minister for Roads and Local Transport and apologise for the delay in responding.

You may be aware that on 8 November, the Government introduced to the House of Lords the Automated Vehicles Bill; this proposed legislation includes measures to enable the creation of a capability within my department to investigate road safety incidents involving automated vehicles. However, this does mean that we will not be creating a wider road safety investigation function in DfT at this time.

This change in focus away from creating a Road Safety Investigation Branch reflects the need to focus on future technologies, assuring their safety before and during their deployment on our roads. New technologies are changing the types of vehicles on our roads, and the way we use our roads; we need to ensure we have a robust regulatory and safety framework in place to ensure these new technologies are developed and deployed safely.
Having the capability to independently investigate incidents involving self-driving vehicles will enable safety lessons to be identified, and recommendations implemented to prevent future incidents. This was a key recommendation in the joint report of the Law Commissions of England and Wales, and Scotland.

I would like to assure you that my Department remains committed to engaging meaningfully with stakeholders on how we develop this capability.

From the Parliamentary
Under Secretary of State
Guy Opperman MP