Source: Micromobilitybiz, A. Ballinger

The Road Safety Investigation Branch (RSIB) has been established to provide insight into incidents occurring on the UK’s roads

A specialized team of inspectors will aid in making the streets safer while advising on how new technologies can be implemented across the road system.

The RSIB will monitor all electric and self-driving vehicles, as well as the safety trends of e-scooters. From here, UK ministers and police will obtain independent safety recommendations that may influence the future of road safety policy.

Roads minister Baroness Vere shared, “The UK may have some of the safest roads in the world, but tragedies still happen and any injury or death on our road network is one too many. That’s why we’re establishing the road safety investigation branch, so we can boost safety for road-users even further and also bring safety measures in line with other modes of transport and the future of travel.”

Until now, the UK road network has lacked such an independent body; air, rail, and maritime networks all have long had established investigative branches. The Department for Transport plans to include the launch of the RSIB in the upcoming Transport Bill, which will also create a new vehicle category for electric scooters, paving the way for the legalization of private-use e-scooters on public roads.

Read the Gov.UK announcement here.