The PACTS Road User Behaviour Working Party (RUBWP) brings together experts from across academia, government, industry, enforcement and the third sector to explore how human behaviour influences road safety outcomes.
The Working Party provides a forum for collaboration, evidence sharing and discussion on some of the most complex challenges facing road users today, helping to inform PACTS’ policy work, briefings and recommendations.
Through its members and subgroups, RUBWP examines how behaviour, attitudes, education, enforcement, technology and the wider transport environment can contribute to safe roads for everyone.
| 👥 Members | A growing network of professionals from academia, government, industry, enforcement and charities |
| 📅 Meetings | Held three times a year (hybrid participation available) |
| 🎯 Focus | Behaviour, education, enforcement, emerging road user challenges |
| 📄 Outputs | Briefings, consultation responses and evidence reviews |
Recent discussions and areas of interest include:
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- Supporting Road Safety Strategy implementation through a focus on road user behaviour
- Promoting a Safe System and supporting a move away from a “blame the driver” culture
- Exploring work-related road risk and opportunities to improve safety for people who drive for work
- Understanding safety challenges associated with light electric vehicles and emerging transport technologies
- Supporting inclusive approaches to road safety that consider the needs of different road users
- Exploring human factors, vehicle technologies and automation in relation to road user behaviour
Why join RUBWP?
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Ashleigh Filtness, PhD, Chair, RUBWP
Ashleigh Filtness, PhD is a Professor of Transport Human Factors and Sleep Science at Loughborough University, where she works at the Transport Safety Research Centre, SDCA. Ashleigh is fascinated by sleepiness and fatigue and their impact on safety. She has spent over 17 years’ performing transportation safety research and has authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications. Since completing her PhD in 2011 on ‘Obstructive sleep apnoea and daytime driver sleepiness’, Professor Filtness has continued her fatigue research working in the Human Factors groups at the Monash University Accident Research Centre (Melbourne) and the Queensland University of Technology’s Centre for Accident Research and Road safety (Brisbane) in Australia before moving to the Transport Safety Research Centre at Loughborough University in 2016. Her research seeks to better understand the situations that contribute to sleepiness/fatigue and how these can best be managed to reduce the impact on safety. She specialises in vehicle operator impairment in road, rail and maritime transport and has a wealth of experience conducting competitively funded research, industry and government funded projects seeking to improve safety. You can find out more about her work here Professor Ashleigh Filtness | Inaugural Lectures | Loughborough University
Dr Ruth Madigan , Vice Chair, RUBWP
Dr Ruth Madigan is an Associate Professor at the Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds. She is a Human Factors specialist with a background in applied psychological research, focused on understanding human-vehicle interactions and training requirements for drivers and other road users. Across her research she uses psychological concepts and theories to further our understanding of human behaviour in the road environment, making use of a variety of conventional and novel methodologies to do so. She has worked on projects from a wide range of funders including the DfT, the Road Safety Trust, and the EU Commission, and has published over 50 research articles in academic journals. She is an associate editor at IET Intelligent Transport Systems, and is also an active member of the ISO Working Group on Human-Vehicle Interaction.
Recent highlights
2026: New work programme
Following the appointment of new Chair and Vice-Chair leadership, RUBWP has developed a refreshed work programme focused on openness, inclusivity, collaboration and member priorities.
The Working Party is exploring new opportunities for members to engage with discussions, share expertise and contribute to future outputs.
2026: New research and policy discussions
Recent meetings have included updates and discussions on:
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- Emergency driver training and cognitive workload research.
- Graduated Driver Licensing developments.
- Vehicle safety technologies and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems.
- Inclusive road design and accessibility.
- Active travel and vulnerable road user safety.
- Insurance sector approaches to supporting safer driving.
RUBWP Subgroups
The Working Party supports focused discussions through specialist subgroups, bringing together members with particular interests and expertise to explore specific road user behaviour challenges.
Light Electric Vehicles (LEV) Subgroup
The LEV Subgroup considers safety issues associated with emerging forms of transport, including electric bikes and other powered light vehicles. Recent work includes:
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- Development of the PACTS briefing on non-EAPC electric bikes.
- Exploring regulatory and safety challenges associated with evolving micromobility.
Work-Related Road Risk (WRRR) Subgroup
The WRRR Subgroup focuses on improving safety for people who drive or travel for work. Current area of interest include:
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- Driver safety management
- Employer responsibilities
- Commercial vehicle safety
- Improving organisational approaches to managing road risk
Recent outputs
Upcoming meeting
PACTS Joint Working Party Meeting
📅 Wednesday 23 September 2026
💬 Morning plenary: Tackling anti-social behaviour on the transport network, including reducing harassment and harm to users and workers across road, rail and air transport.
👥 Afternoon: Road User Behaviour Working Party meeting, with discussions aligned to the Working Party’s current priorities and work programme.
