Bringing Communities Together for Safer Roads
Be Part Of The Solution
National road safety
movement
Welcome to Voices for Road Safety
Bringing Communities Together for Safer Roads
Voices for Road Safety (VFRS) is an independent, community-led movement supporting the Vision Zero and Safe System ambitions of local authorities, charities and strategic partners across the UK. We bring together communities, lived experience and evidence to help inform practical decisions that reduce deaths and serious injuries on our roads.
Our initial focus is Britain's rural roads, where around 60% of all road fatalities occur. We believe these roads should not only be safer, but should continue to connect communities, support farming and local businesses, encourage tourism, and provide places where people can walk, cycle, ride horses, drive and enjoy the countryside with confidence.
By sharing knowledge, encouraging collaboration and learning from successful initiatives in the UK and around the world, Voices for Road Safety aims to support those already working hard to make our roads safer—for everyone.
Voices for Road Safety Day
Launching September 2026
The first Wednesday of every month
Strategic Partners Teams Meeting - 2pm
A structured online window for partners to share research, projects, lessons and practical opportunities for collaboration.
Community Voices Teams Meeting — 7pm
A welcoming online meeting for road users and community representatives to contribute lived experience and local knowledge.
Voices for Road Safety Day is a new monthly initiative designed to bring together communities, strategic partners and organisations through a programme of online Teams meetings, supporting collaboration and evidence-led road safety across the UK.
Each month provides an opportunity to share progress, discuss current projects, learn from successful initiatives and strengthen partnerships that help reduce deaths and serious injuries on Britain's roads.
Voices for Road Safety brings road users, organisations and experts together to reduce death and serious injury through evidence, lived experience and practical collaboration.
Many Voices. One Purpose. Safer Roads.
01 — The Voices People with lived experience.
02 — Strategic Partners Organisations and experts with knowledge.
03 — Ambassadors Trusted people who help the message travel further.
Voices for Road Safety
VFRS Publication 001
The Charter
Version: 1.0
Issued: August 2026
Status: Draft for Consultation
Our Purpose
Voices for Road Safety exists to bring communities, organisations, professionals and decision-makers together to help reduce deaths and serious injuries on Britain's roads through collaboration, evidence and shared experience.
Our Vision
A future where every community can travel, work, exercise and enjoy Britain's roads with confidence because they are designed, managed and used as safely as possible.
We believe safer roads should do more than reduce collisions. They should connect communities, support local economies, encourage healthy lifestyles and give people the confidence to walk, cycle, ride, drive and enjoy the countryside safely.
Our Mission
To help authorities make informed road safety decisions by combining lived experience with research, engineering, education and partnership.
Our Values
Evidence before opinion.
Collaboration before confrontation.
Respect for every road user.
Celebrate good practice.
Support continuous improvement.
Communities at the heart of road safety.
Who We Bring Together
Drivers, young drivers, driving instructors, horse riders, carriage drivers, cyclists, motorcyclists, walkers, ramblers, joggers, dog walkers, farmers, residents, emergency services, local authorities, charities, researchers and industry.
Our Commitments
1. Base publications on reliable evidence.
2. Clearly distinguish facts from proposals.
3. Listen to every community.
4. Share successful case studies.
5. Promote practical, evidence-led solutions.
Guiding Principle
Bringing Communities Together for Safer
VFRS_001_The_Charter_v1.0.pdf dbddba3d-bf2b-4450-837a-ad41e0ad3771
Why we exist
Better decisions begin with better conversations
Road safety decisions are strongest when professional evidence is combined with the experiences of people who live, work, walk, ride and drive on our roads.
We create a constructive forum where communities, councils, police, charities, researchers and industry can share what works, identify gaps and help shape informed action.
Community Function
Understanding the role roads play in people's everyday lives
At Voices for Road Safety, we believe that roads are more than transport corridors. They are an essential part of our communities, connecting people to work, education, healthcare, businesses, leisure activities and each other.
When considering road safety, local authorities already assess important factors such as engineering, traffic and collision history. These are fundamental to making informed decisions.
Voices for Road Safety believes there is value in considering one additional element alongside these established assessments:
Community Function
What role does this road play in the daily life, wellbeing and economy of the communities it serves?
This is not intended to replace existing engineering or road safety assessments. Instead, it aims to complement them by recognising how roads are experienced and used by the people who rely on them every day.
A road's Community Function may include:
- Connecting villages and local communities.
- Providing access to schools, healthcare and local services.
- Supporting farming and rural businesses.
- Enabling tourism and access to the countryside.
- Providing popular routes for walking, cycling and running.
- Supporting horse riding and equestrian activities.
- Connecting public rights of way and recreational routes.
- Supporting public transport and community facilities.
- Contributing to the physical and mental wellbeing of local communities.
Every road serves a purpose beyond carrying vehicles. It supports people's lives, livelihoods and wellbeing.
By recognising a road's Community Function, alongside engineering, traffic and collision history, we believe road safety decisions can be informed by a broader understanding of how roads contribute to the communities they serve.
The VFRS Road Assessment Model
Voices for Road Safety encourages a balanced, evidence-led approach to understanding rural roads by considering four key areas:
1. Engineering
What is the road physically like?
Road width, alignment, visibility, junctions, surface condition, road markings and other engineering characteristics.
2. Traffic
How is the road used by vehicles?
Traffic volume, vehicle types, agricultural traffic, seasonal variation, speed profiles and network function.
3. Collision History
What has happened on this road?
Collision patterns, contributory factors, locations, trends and opportunities for improvement.
4. Community Function
What role does this road play in the daily life, wellbeing and economy of the communities it serves?
Understanding how people use and experience the road for work, education, leisure, recreation and everyday life helps provide a broader perspective when considering road safety.
Bringing Communities Together for Safer Roads
Our model
Everyone has a clear role
The Voices
Driving instructors, horse riders, carriage drivers, cyclists, walkers, ramblers, joggers, dog walkers, farmers, residents, young drivers, drivers and motorcyclists.
Strategic Partners
Highway authorities, police, road safety partnerships, charities, universities, professional bodies and national representative organisations.
Ambassadors
Respected professionals and public figures who can build trust, change attitudes and reach wider audiences.
Current direction
From local experience to national learning
Rural road safety Speed management, road function and infrastructure.
Young driver safety Education, technology and evidence-led reform.
Changing attitudes Positive messages that encourage responsible road use.
Sharing good practice Helping authorities learn from successful projects elsewhere.
Case Studies
Surrey County Council – A Blueprint for Safer Rural Roads
Surrey County Council – A Blueprint for Safer Rural Roads
Voices for Road Safety is pleased to showcase the proactive work being undertaken by Surrey County Council to review rural speed limits across the county. Recognising that many narrow rural roads are subject to the National Speed Limit despite being shared by residents, walkers, cyclists, horse riders, agricultural vehicles and local traffic, Surrey has adopted a strategic, evidence-led approach to setting speed limits that better reflect the function and character of each road. The programme is being delivered in phases across the county, with the first area already completed and further sections progressing. We believe Surrey's work provides an excellent example of how local authorities can take a collaborative, long-term approach to improving road safety, and we hope it will encourage the sharing of good practice with councils across the UK.
Watch Duncan Knox explain Surrey County Council's Rural Speed Limit Programme (2024) and how the project is helping to create safer roads across the county.
Current Programme Update
This map illustrates the phased delivery of Surrey County Council's Rural Speed Limit Programme, showing completed areas, sections currently being implemented and the next phase of speed surveys. It demonstrates a structured, county-wide approach to reviewing rural roads and introducing speed limits that are more appropriate for their use and surrounding environment.
Join the movement
Bring your voice, expertise or influence
Tell us where you fit and how you would like to contribute.
Contact Voices for Road Safety
Voices for Road Safety Bringing Communities Together for Safer Roads.
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