The Road Safety Investigation Branch (RSIB) is a proposed

road safety Road traffic safety refers to the methods and measures, such as traffic calming, to prevent road users from being killed or seriously injured. Typical road users include pedestrians, cyclists, Driving, motorists, passengers of vehicles, and p ...

investigation organisation announced by the

government of the United Kingdom His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

in June 2022. The RSIB will provide independent safety recommendations based on thematic analysis of

road accident A traffic collision, also known as a motor vehicle collision, or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other moving or stationary obstruction, such as a tree, pole or building. Tr ...

s, and will provide insights into evolution of road safety policy in response to new technologies such as

self-driving vehicle Vehicular automation is using technology to assist or replace the operator of a vehicle such as a car, truck, aircraft, rocket, military vehicle, or boat. Assisted vehicles are ''semi-autonomous'', whereas vehicles that can travel without a ...

e-scooter An e-scooter or electric kick scooter is an electric motorized scooter – a stand-up scooter powered by an electric hub motor in its front and/or rear wheel. It is generally designed with a large center deck on which the rider stands. They ar ...

s and

electric vehicle An electric vehicle (EV) is a motor vehicle whose propulsion is powered fully or mostly by electricity. EVs encompass a wide range of transportation modes, including road vehicle, road and rail vehicles, electric boats and Submersible, submer ...

History and context of creation

In the Autumn of 2018, a Road Collision Investigation Project was started to study causes of road traffic collisions and their impact and assess business case for a Road Collision Investigation Branch.. In October 2021, the

Department for Transport The Department for Transport (DfT) is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport ...

(DfT) launched a consultation on the establishment of a Road Collision Investigation Branch (RCIB). The UK has accident investigation organisations for air, maritime and rail accidents, but no independent body to investigate road incidents and their causes, while in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

road collisions account for more fatalities than other modes of transport. Hitherto, investigations in the road sector were limited to a Collision Reporting and Sharing System (CRASH) and to Forensic Collision Investigation reports and Prevention of Future Death. (See also

Reported Road Casualties Great Britain ''Reported Road Casualties Great Britain'' (RRCGB), formerly ''Road Casualties Great Britain'' (RCGB) and before that ''Road Accidents Great Britain'' (RAGB), is the official statistical publication of the UK Department for Transport (DfT) on t ...

) On 29 June 2022, Baroness Vere of Norbiton announced governmental intention of primary legislation for the creation of the Road Safety Investigation Branch (RSIB). Creation of the announced body will rely on proposals being brought forward in a future Transport bill.

Mission

The branch shall investigate thematics in the causes of crashes and also specific incidents to learn safety lessons. Independent safety recommendations shall be provided to government and police forces. It can also analyze safety trends in new or evolving technologies such as

automated vehicle Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, mainly by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, as well as embodying those predeterminations in machine ...

s and electric vehicles. To achieve such a mission, the body might use data from insurance companies, vehicle manufacturers, the emergency services and the NHS.

References

{{reflist Public bodies and task forces of the United Kingdom government Road safety organizations Proposed organizations