This week’s Highways Voices discusses one of the most important issues facing transport professionals today: road safety.
Podcast guest, Jamie Hassall, Executive Director of PACTS – the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety, delivers a frank and thought-provoking challenge to many of the assumptions drivers, policymakers and even transport professionals hold about safety on the road network.
In the conversation, he argues that Britain’s national speed limit system is outdated, particularly on rural roads, and explains why “safe speed” is often very different from the number shown on a sign. The conversation explores the backlash against 20mph limits, why compliance with speed limits remains so poor, and whether technologies like Intelligent Speed Assistance, telematics and autonomous vehicles could fundamentally change driver behaviour.
Jamie also discusses why road safety investment still struggles to secure funding despite crashes – including many which are preventable – costing the UK economy billions each year, and whether organisations that repeatedly claim “safety is our number one priority” are genuinely backing those words with meaningful action.
Perhaps most importantly, Jamie Hassall makes the case for a major focus on work-related road safety, arguing that fleet operators and employers could play a transformative role in reducing deaths and serious injuries on Britain’s roads.
This is a conversation guaranteed to spark debate across the highways and transport technology sector.
Listen to the full podcast below:
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