POLICE, FIRE AND CRIME PANEL REPORT      

 

Meeting Date

February 5th 2026

Report Title

Road Safety Update

 

Information should be accessible for all. If you require this information in a different language or format, please contact the Police, Fire and Crime Team at info@northyorkshire-pfcc.gov.uk.

 

1.0    Purpose of this report

To provide an update on road safety progress in York and North Yorkshire.

2.0      Road safety is a priority

Keeping people safe across York and North Yorkshire is a top priority for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor and the York and North Yorkshire Road Safety Partnership. The Mayor has pledged to create safe spaces for all, and road safety is a vital part of that commitment. The priorities in the Mayor’s new plans (Police and Crime Plan and Fire and Rescue Plan 2025-2029) are shaped by the priorities of the public. The plans place a renewed emphasis on road safety which supports the Vision Zero ambition, where no road death is considered acceptable.

On 7 January 2026, the Government’s Department for Transport (DfT) published its National Road Safety Strategy, the first such strategy in over a decade, aimed at addressing the long‑standing stagnation in road safety outcomes. The strategy is available here: Road safety strategy - GOV.UK.

Too many people are killed or seriously injured on our roads. The Department for Transport publishes annual road safety statistics each September, reflecting data from the previous year. In 2024, across York and North Yorkshire, there were 407 collisions that resulted in 26 fatalities and a further 435 serious injuries.

Table 1: Collisions, fatalities and serious injuries on roads across York and North Yorkshire

Source: Department for Transport - Road Safety Statistics

The Partnership’s Annual Report (link to the report provided in section 3.0 below) provides detailed insights into the nature of these collisions, including information on vehicle types involved, casualty and driver age and gender, road types, and the times of year and day when incidents occurred.

3.0            Summary of progress

The York and North Yorkshire Road Safety Partnership

The York and North Yorkshire Road Safety Partnership brings together the key agencies responsible for keeping our road users safe, healthy, and active as they travel across our City and County. The partnership includes:

•                    North Yorkshire Police

•                    North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service

•                    York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority

•                    City of York Council

•                    North Yorkshire Council

•                    Yorkshire Ambulance Service

•                    National Highways

 

The Partnership’s Safer Roads Strategy 2021-2026 can be viewed here: Road Safety Strategy 2021-2026. It sets out the Partnership’s vision of working towards Vision Zero  - a future where no one is killed or seriously injured on our roads and its approach to achieving this ambition.

The Partnership follows an evidence-led approach to guide its activities. North Yorkshire Police’s Strategic Threat and Risk Assessment identifies the full range of collision risk factors, helping to determine when, where, and why serious incidents are most likely to occur, as well as who is most at risk. This assessment is supported by seasonal deployment plans, which target enforcement activity on key routes based on detailed analysis of collision locations and timings. These insights also shape the Partnership’s wider prevention work and interventions.

The Partnership published its first annual report last year, outlining progress across its engagement, education, engineering, and enforcement activities throughout 2024. You can access the report via the following link, and we strongly encourage reading it to assess progress: Annual-Report 2024.

Future funding

The Partnership has historically operated without a sustainable funding model. Over the last four years, it has relied on a one-off allocation via the former Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner in 2022 to support its work. This funding has enabled academic reviews into the effectiveness and economic viability of fixed and average speed cameras, the appointment of a fixed-term Road Safety Partnership Coordinator, enhanced and expanded delivery of the FireBike and Police Engagement Bike initiatives, replacement of the road safety engagement trailer, a supply of  engagement materials, a dedicated post to manage the Speed Management Protocol to follow up on reported community speeding concerns, and investment in software to remotely monitor vehicle speeds across the road network.

From 1 April 2026, the Partnership will require a sustainable annual funding stream to support the appointment of a strategic partnership lead/policy manager and to establish an operational delivery fund for road safety prevention activities.

Between 2024 and 2025, the Road Safety Partnership commissioned two independent academic reviews from Newcastle University. The first assessed the effectiveness of current enforcement approaches, while the second examined the feasibility of introducing fixed and/or average speed camera networks across York and North Yorkshire. Both studies present strong evidence in favour of a blended enforcement model combining mobile safety cameras with fixed or average-speed camera technology. The Partnership will now develop a detailed business case to include sourcing of capital funding through the Combined Authority, with final approvals for the introduction of static cameras required primarily from North Yorkshire Police (as the enforcement lead) and from North Yorkshire Council and City of York Council in their roles as local highway authorities.

Governance and accountability

Over recent years, the York and North Yorkshire Road Safety Partnership has continued to mature, with an ambitious strategic plan, underpinning tactical delivery plans, and an annual report to highlight progress. In summer 2025, the Partnership commissioned a peer review by the West Yorkshire Vision Zero Road Safety Partnership to identify further opportunities to strengthen delivery, partnership engagement, and overall accountability. Reporting in December 2025, the review identified several areas for development. In particular, it emphasised the need for sustainable funding to support and expand the Partnership’s collaborative prevention work, alongside the appointment of a strategic partnership lead/policy manager to drive forward implementation of the strategic plan.

The review also recommended changes to the Partnership’s meeting structure to enhance accountability. Specifically, it proposed the introduction of a Scrutiny and Oversight Board, chaired by the Deputy Mayor, to hold the Strategic Board to account for delivering the Partnership’s Strategy.

Mayor, Deputy Mayor and the Policing, Fire and Crime Directorate

Over the past two years, the Mayor and Deputy Mayor have continued to support a strengthened focus on road safety.

In July 2025, the Mayor launched the region’s first ever Road Safety Month as an ambitious, region-wide campaign aimed at raising awareness, engaging with the public and reducing serious injuries and fatalities on local roads. The campaign was designed to encourage safer behaviour among all road users, from drivers and cyclists to pedestrians and motorcyclists. 

On 3 July, the Deputy Mayor for Policing, Fire and Crime held her third road safety surgery with parishes and town councils across North Yorkshire and the City of York. These sessions provided an opportunity to hear directly from communities about local road safety concerns and the measures they believe would most effectively improve safety in their areas. Feedback from the surgeries has since been shared with North Yorkshire Council, City of York Council and North Yorkshire Police.  To date the Deputy Mayor for Policing, Fire and Crime has met with approximately 32 Town and Parish Councils.

On 15 July, the Deputy Mayor’s Online Public Meeting (OPM) with North Yorkshire Police was dedicated to road safety, culminating in a Q&A session with public questions. The Meeting was live streamed and can be viewed via this link: Road Safety Online Public Meeting July 2025 . The road safety OPM received a lot of public interest and is likely to be repeated annually.

In July 2025, the YNYCA Policing, Fire and Crime Team joined forces with North Yorkshire Police and the Fire and Rescue Service at the Great Yorkshire Show, showcasing how partners work together to keep York and North Yorkshire safe, including on our roads.

The Deputy Mayor and Chief Constable will open the first Northern Regional Road Safety Summit on 2 February 2026 at the Joint Police and Fire Headquarters, organised by the York and North Yorkshire Road Safety Partnership. This event brings together a diverse group of over 60 road safety professionals, partners, and advocates from across the Northern Region who share a common goal: making our roads safer for everyone.

The Deputy Mayor has introduced regular meetings with Cabinet and Executive members from both local authorities to strengthen partnership working and improve shared understanding of road safety issues and priorities across North Yorkshire and the City of York. The first meeting took place in January 2026.

The Independent Road Victim Advocate service, commissioned by the Deputy Mayor and delivered in close collaboration with North Yorkshire Police, provides countywide support to victims of road traffic incidents. This includes face-to-face support where possible for individuals affected by bereavement or serious injury. During 2024–2025, the service supported 88 individuals across 50 cases involving a road death or serious injury.

On 23 January 2026 the Deputy Mayor’s Online Public Meeting (OPM) with North Yorkshire Police discussed road safety. The Meeting was live streamed and can be viewed via this link: 23 January 2026 Online Public Meeting.  The Chief Constable provided updates on:

·         Safety Camera Van (SCV) deployments, explaining deployments are based on evidence-based collision data or community concerns.   Excessive speed is a primary cause for collisions in our region.

·         In 2024 8666 road traffic collisions were reported to North Yorkshire Police,  a majority of which were damage only, of which  North Yorkshire Police attended 40%.  1757 reports involved some type of injury, North Yorkshire Police attended 81% of these incidents.    

·         In 2025 road collision reports to North Yorkshire Police increased to 9187 with similar attendance to 2024. A full breakdown will be provided to the Deputy Mayor.

·         North Yorkshire Police are responsible for 3341 square miles of roads compared to 783 square miles in West Yorkshire.  The Chief Constable explained West Yorkshire have 452 fixed cameras and 6 Safety Camera vans, by comparison North Yorkshire Police have 13 safety camera vans/bikes and said this position was untenable.   The Chief Constable and Mayor of York and North Yorkshire are determined to work with the Road Safety Partnership to change this position. 

 

 

Key developments in 2026

The Government’s new Road Safety Strategy sets targets to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured (KSI) on roads in Great Britain by 2035, compared to a 2022–24 baseline - by 65% overall, and by 70% for those under 16.The YNYRSP will develop a new local Road Safety Strategy in 2026, aligned with the national approach.

The YNYRSP will implement a new meeting structure during 2026 to strengthen accountability and will seek to secure sustainable funding arrangements from April 2026 to support the effective delivery of the new strategy.