The Government has published a new National Road Safety Strategy, and for businesses operating company vehicles it marks an important moment. National road safety policy increasingly influences insurance expectations, vehicle standards, and the duty of care placed on employers.

The ambition of the strategy is significant: to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured (KSI) on Great Britain’s roads by 65% by 2035, with an even higher target of 70% for children under 16. Better systems, better regulation, and better support are expected to save thousands of lives over the coming decade.

If your business operates company vehicles, the new strategy affects how you manage risk, drivers, and vehicles, especially if driving is part of someone’s job. Here’s how to prepare for stricter regulations for all company vehicles.

Work-related road risk is front and centre

Our partners at Driving for Better Business are supporting the Department for Transport with a pilot for a new work-related road safety charter that will have big implications for employers. It suggests you may soon see:

• more formal expectations for how you manage driving risk
• clearer standards for good practice
• more emphasis on demonstrating duty of care consistently

If you already treat driving for work as a major operational risk, the strategy reinforces that you’re right to do so.

What’s in the new Road Safety Strategy?

The Government’s new Road Safety Strategy outlines several consultations that could affect you directly, not only through legislation, but through what clients, insurers, and regulators increasingly expect you to have in place.

The areas highlighted include:

• a minimum learning period for new drivers
• mandatory eye tests for drivers over 70
• a review of motoring offences, including lower drink-drive limits and tougher penalties for unlicensed or uninsured driving
• additional safety technology in new cars
• reforms to motorcycle training, testing and licensing

Even if not every measure applies specifically to your company fleet, they can still influence your responsibilities when staff drive company vehicles, pool cars, or their own vehicles for work.

The strategy also includes a commitment to a Road Safety Investigation Branch, intended to bring together data and investigate patterns that can drive improvements. Over time, you can expect more emphasis on evidence and learning, and potentially on how organisations respond to incidents, so it’s crucial to stay informed.

Fleet News noted that the strategy zeroes in on drink-driving and older drivers. For employers, that raises real questions, because it touches on fairness and inclusion, compliance, and where their responsibility ends and the driver’s begins. Strong risk management, built on clear standards, consistent processes, and supportive coaching is needed.

Practical steps you can take now

You don’t need to wait for consultations to conclude to start making progress. Here are practical actions you can take now that align with the direction of the strategy:

How Quartix helps you build a safer fleet

Quartix helps you manage company vehicles by giving you visibility into vehicle usage, driving trends and behaviours, so you can take preventative action that strengthens duty of care and supports safer driving at work.

If you’re reviewing your road risk approach in light of the new strategy, reach out to our team to explore practical ways to strengthen your safety programme without adding unnecessary burden for drivers or managers.