Jason Wakeford, head of campaigns at Brake, said: “Currently, information about the perceived causes of road crashes are recorded by police at the time of a collision, but police have a focus on identifying criminality, which simply isn’t adequate to determining the most effective countermeasures to cut future road casualties, which can include things like a need for road infrastructure changes or improved vehicle design.
“Brake has long advocated for an independent agency to provide the necessary evidence to learn from crashes and identify the most effective countermeasures, and so we fully support the Department for Transport and applaud this consultation as a key next step.
“It’s vital that Government’s post-crash response, which includes improved road crash investigation, goes hand in hand with provision of support for road crash victims, which the Government crucially helps through its funding of the National Road Victim Service run by Brake, and delivering care to victims in partnership with police and many other community services.
“Thorough crash investigation and high standards of support for victims are both important – humanitarian responses can save the NHS and emergency services millions of pounds each year through prevented future crashes and support for the wellbeing of victims.”