Safer Roads Fund targeting dangerous A roads
Safer Roads Fund will deliver £1.25bn social benefit by targeting England’s most dangerous A roads
A government-backed road safety programme is expected to prevent around 2,700 deaths and serious injuries over the next two decades on some of England’s most dangerous A-roads, according to a new report.
The Department for Transport’s Safer Roads Fund, which was introduced in 2016, has invested £195 million in improving high-risk local authority A-roads identified using iRAP star ratings – an internationally recognised system that measures the safety of road design.
The latest report estimates that the programme will generate around £1.25 billion in benefits to society over a 20-year period. That equates to a benefit-cost ratio of 5.3, meaning every £1 invested is expected to deliver around £5.30 in economic and social benefits through the prevention of fatal and serious collisions.
Unlike traditional approaches that rely mainly on historical crash data, the Safer Roads Fund takes a proactive approach by identifying roads with higher levels of risk before serious accidents occur. By assessing road layouts, junctions and roadside features, the programme aims to address potential hazards early, helping to make England’s A-roads safer for everyone.
