Vehicle crashes could be investigated by a new organization as part of the government’s plans to boost road safety.

The Department of Transport (DfT) has announced that it is consulting on proposals to establish a Road Collision Investigation Directorate (RCIB).

It would operate in the same way as existing independent bodies that investigate air, sea and rail accidents.

A RCIB would investigate certain topics and investigate specific incidents to establish causes and make safety recommendations.

The DfT said it launched the consultation because of “huge developments” underway in the transport sector, such as the deployment of increasingly automated and electric vehicles.

There was no significant reduction in the number of people killed in crashes on UK roads each year from 2012 until coronavirus closures resulted in a huge reduction in traffic in 2020.

Some 1,752 deaths were recorded in 2019, followed by 1,460 last year.

Police investigations into traffic accidents are primarily focused on “identifying criminal culpability,” according to the consultation paper.

He continued: “Currently, there is no autonomous body to investigate traffic collisions with the mission of learning and prevention.

“The objective of a RCIB would be to conduct thematic investigations, drawing on all available evidence, to make recommendations to the organizations concerned to mitigate or prevent such incidents in the future.”

Roads Minister Baroness Vere said: “UK roads are among the safest in the world, but we are always looking for ways to make them even safer.

“A new branch of investigation would play a huge role in this work by identifying the underlying causes of road crashes so that we can take action to prevent them from happening again.

“It would also provide us with vital information as we continue to modernize our road network to ensure better, greener and safer journeys. “

Steve Gooding, director of the automotive research charity RAC Foundation, said: “After excellent progress over many years, it has been difficult to sustainably improve road safety over the past decade, both in the past decade. United Kingdom than elsewhere.

“We should ask ourselves if we understand all we can about the causes of road crashes and what could be done to prevent them.

“Our research to date suggests that more could be learned, which is why today’s consultation is so important and so welcome.