Supporting victims and advancing road safety through 30 years of work
Brake, the road safety charity, marked 30 years of promoting road safety and supporting road victims in 2025. Since its founding in 1995, Brake has provided specialist emotional and practical support to families affected by road crashes and campaigned for safer streets and stronger road safety policy.
Educating and advocating for safe roads
Brake has highlighted the scale of child road casualties across the UK and called for a default 20mph speed limit in built-up and residential areas following Wales’s example. Brake has also continued to campaign for reduced drink-drive limits in England and Wales, where the legal blood alcohol limits for drivers remain among the highest in Europe.
In 2025, Brake’s Road Safety Week focused on the theme Safe vehicles save lives and Brake pressed the government to adopt the General Safety Regulation to ensure that life-saving technology is fitted in all new cars. New research by Brake demonstrated strong public support for this campaign, attracting widespread backing from organisations and MPs.
Supporting road victims and influencing policy
Brake supported more than 2,000 families who have been bereaved or seriously injured in road crashes last year. The charity has contributed to the All-Party Parliamentary Group for transport safety and promoted the need for sustainable funding through its Road Victims’ Charter so that everyone affected by road crashes can access specialist support.
Brake has also engaged directly with policymakers by supporting Westminster Hall debates, hosting MP drop-in sessions, and holding its Annual Reception at the Palace of Westminster to promote road safety issues.
Why Brake joined PACTS
Brake is proud to be a longstanding member of PACTS. Membership enables collaboration across the transport safety sector, sharing evidence and influencing policy discussions. In 2025, Brake worked alongside other members of PACTS to lobby for strengthened licensing for young and newly qualified drivers to protect all road users. Being part of PACTS allows Brake to bring the voice and lived experience of road victims into policy discussions, which the charity considers essential for meaningful improvements in road safety.
Looking ahead
Brake continues to champion measures that prioritise road user safety, support people seriously injured or bereaved by road crashes and promote prevention at both national and local levels, in the context of the Government’s newly published Road Safety Strategy.
