Road Safety Trust announces new funding for projects aiming to reduce risk on our roads

The Road Safety Trust has announced the award of nearly £280,000 in grant funding for seven new projects designed to tackle a range of road safety issues in the UK.

The projects were selected following the Trust’s Autumn 2025 Small Grants funding round, which invited applications for research and practical interventions that make a positive impact on the safety of our roads, and which could potentially save lives.

For the first time, the Trust implemented a new two-stage application process, which offered early feedback to applicants and guidance for those invited to submit full bids.

This new approach appears to have been a success, with more applications and expressions of interest received than ever before. A total of 88 Expressions of Interest (EOIs) were submitted, from an array of organisations, ranging from university research departments and police forces to charities and community interest companies.

Following a shortlisting exercise and a rigorous review by the Road Safety Initiatives Committee (RSIC) seven projects were approved by the Board of Trustees to receive funding, subject to completed paperwork.

The successful projects include:

• Leaders Unlocked – The Young Drivers’ Commission: Empowering young people to reshape the way we educate, train, test and license
• Transport for All – Assessing gait speed of disabled people in the context of road crossings
• University of Leeds – Slowing down for safety: Where, when and why do drivers comply with 20 mph speed limits?
• Derbyshire Constabulary – National communications campaign to improve motorcycle safety
• The Open University (in partnership with Devon & Cornwall Police Driver Support Team) – A Focussed Response: Supporting police emergency drivers to recognise and manage cognitive distraction
• Impact and Insight Ltd – Developing Behaviourally Informed Guidance for Using Virtual Reality (VR) in Road Safety Education

Ruth Purdie OBE, Chief Executive of The Road Safety Trust, said: “It was excellent to see such a high level of interest in this particular funding round, and such a broad range, both in terms of the scope of the bids and the applicants themselves.

“Death and serious injury on our roads remain unacceptably high and it’s clear that there are many aspects of road safety that still need to be addressed.

“I congratulate all those who were successful in their applications and I look forward to seeing how their projects can have a positive impact on the safety of our roads and on those who use them.”

The Road Safety Trust also recently launched its ‘Large Grants’ funding round with up to £200,000 available from a total funding pot of £750,000 for projects that focus on either preventing harm linked to drug-impaired driving and motorised riding, or safer vehicles. The window for submitting expressions of interest in this round closes on 5th May.