The national campaign raises awareness of the devastating impact of road death and injury, and call for key measures to make roads safer.

Beginning on the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, Road Safety Week brings into sharp focus the shocking fact that many thousands of people die or are seriously injured on UK roads every year.

Thousands of schools, organisations, emergency services, campaigners and communities take part every year and show their support – by sharing important road safety messages that reach millions of people across the UK, and remembering road victims through events, fundraising, and media coverage.

Each year, Road Safety Week addresses one of the pillars of the Safe System approach to road safety – a shared approach to prevent death and serious injury from road crashes. For Road Safety Week 2026, Brake is focusing on the safe road users pillar, sharing the message that whether we drive, walk, wheel or ride, we can all do something to make a difference.

This Road Safety Week, Brake is asking people to join conversations at a national and local level about how we can make our roads safer for everyone, with a call to Government and other stakeholders to commit to life-saving measures that will prevent road death and injury.

In May, the Department for Transport released the provisional data for the 2025 road casualty statistics, revealing a troubling 4% rise in the number of people killed or seriously injured in road crashes in Britain, compared with 2024 figures. These numbers are the highest since pre-Covid times. It is estimated that 1,556 people were killed and a further 28,255 were seriously injured on British roads in 2025 – some 1,047 more than the previous year.

The numbers are shocking, underlining the need for urgent measures to prevent road casualties, and making Road Safety Week more important than ever before.

Brake will put people at the heart of Road Safety Week 2026, helping those whose lives have been changed by road crashes to share their stories, raising awareness of the devastating impact on everyone involved, and highlighting the difference that specialist support can make for people who have been bereaved or injured in road crashes.

Earlier this month, at its annual After the Crash conference, Brake revealed that the charity had supported more than 3,200 road victim families in 2025, despite receiving no central government funding across England and Wales.

Brake’s CEO Ross Moorlock said: “It’s never nice to hear, but five people die on UK roads every day. Many more suffer serious, life-changing injuries leading to disability. 1 in 4 people killed on the road is a pedestrian or a cyclist, and 1 in 9 casualties is a child under the age of 16. These are not just numbers – behind every number is a grieving family, whose lives have changed beyond all recognition in an instant.

“The good news is that road deaths and injuries are not inevitable. They are preventable tragedies, and we know the solutions that can make a difference.

“This year’s Road Safety Week is all about people. It’s about the way that we use our roads, and how we can all be safe when we’re on the move. Whether we drive, walk, wheel or ride, we can all do something that will make a difference, we can all play a part to make our roads safer and protect each other from harm. I invite you to all join us this Road Safety Week, add your voice to the conversation, and take action to make every journey safer, every time you travel.”

Road Safety Week 2026 is run by Brake and sponsored by Hastings Direct and Waymo.

Toby van der Meer, chief executive officer at Hastings Direct, commented: “At Hastings Direct, we see first-hand the devastating impact that road crashes can have on people’s lives. That’s why road safety is so important to us. We’re proud to be sponsoring Road Safety Week 2026 and are committed to raising awareness of unsafe driving behaviours – through our partnership with Brake, our telematics products, and our ongoing communication with customers – to help make the roads safer for everyone.”

Heather Aijian, head of public affairs at Waymo, commented: “When it comes to the safety of our roadways, Waymo and Brake want to change the status quo. Safety is at the core of everything Waymo does, and we’re proud to raise awareness with Brake this Road Safety Week to advance our shared mission of creating safer journeys for everyone.”

For more information, visit www.brake.org.uk/roadsafetyweek.