Skip to main content

DfT to review UK traffic enforcement

The Department for Transport (DfT) in the UK is to carry out a review into road policing and traffic enforcement in a bid to improve highway safety. The two-year review - jointly funded by the DfT and Highways England - will look at how road policing currently works, its effectiveness and areas for improvement. The DfT will work with the Home Office and the National Police Chiefs’ Council. A pilot programme is expected to follow in 2020, looking at new initiatives to see what works best for reducing roa
July 22, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

The 1837 Department for Transport (DfT) in the UK is to carry out a review into road policing and traffic enforcement in a bid to improve highway safety.

The two-year review - jointly funded by the DfT and 8101 Highways England - will look at how road policing currently works, its effectiveness and areas for improvement.

The DfT will work with the Home Office and the National Police Chiefs’ Council. A pilot programme is expected to follow in 2020, looking at new initiatives to see what works best for reducing road casualties.

Michael Ellis, road safety minister, says road policing is a “key deterrent” in stopping drivers breaking the law and risking their own - and other people’s - lives.

“This review will not only highlight where police forces are doing good work, it will show what more can be done to improve road safety,” Ellis adds.

Additionally, the review will look at how police and different agencies work together, the information they share and how improvements may increase capability and capacity. It will also consider how best to police roads in rural and urban areas and the strategic road network.

As part of the move, the DfT is rolling out a new version of the Collision Reporting and Sharing software and smartphone for police mobile devices.


The DfT says the app allows officers to report crash data and locations on-site rather than having to return to a police station to duplicate paperwork on a computer.

A call for evidence will launch in the autumn to find out what currently works well. Findings and recommendations will be ready next year.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Siemens enforcement solution for London primary schools made permanent
    October 18, 2018
    Siemens Mobility says a pilot scheme to improve road safety outside three UK primary schools has been made permanent. Siemens is monitoring newly-created pedestrian zones outside schools in the London borough of Croydon by deploying an solution which is more commonly used to enforce bus lanes and moving traffic contraventions. The system, which uses automatic number plate recognition technology and features Siemens ITS LaneWatch cameras, operates during the morning and afternoon school runs. It appears
  • Copenhagen: everything's gone green
    October 3, 2018
    As the ITS World Congress arrives in Copenhagen, Adam Hill finds out how Dynniq has been helping traffic flow – and CO2 reduction - in the Danish capital. Most of the time, ‘breathing easier’ is just an expression which indicates a metaphorical sigh of relief that something has worked out alright. But it can be literally true, too. Respiratory and other potential health problems which stem from pollution in the world’s increasingly urbanised environments have been well publicised and governments are
  • New project aims to deliver next generation road mapping for England and Wales
    February 26, 2015
    The Department for Transport is to contribute US$4.6 million to help create a digital road map that will give the most detailed information yet to councils and emergency services. The new map, developed by Ordnance Survey, has the potential to transform how all levels of government maintain and improve roads by detailing information such as road widths, traffic calming measures and height and weight restrictions. This dataset could also be linked to other information held by government, including planned ro
  • Smarter transport remains key to smart cities
    January 9, 2018
    Colin Sowman looks at some of the challenges and solutions that will provide enhanced transport efficiency in tomorrow’s smarter cities. However you define a ‘smart city’, one of the key ingredients will be an efficient transport system. As most governments and city authorities face financial constraints, incremental improvements in the existing systems is the most likely way forward. In London, new trains and signalling are improving the capacity of the Underground but that then reveals previously