Labour Government urged to tackle the UK’s biggest road issues

According to a report by the RAC, the poor condition of UK roads, rising insurance costs and high fuel prices are the top three concerns affecting British drivers. Subsequently, the RAC, as well as others in the industry, have called out to the newly elected Labour party to address these problems, as well as several other key issues.

Below, we’ve gone into detail about these key issues affecting UK motorists and the suggestions that the industry has made to address them.

Improve local roads

For the second year running, the poor condition of roads is the number one concern for UK drivers, according to the RAC. The industry is calling on the government to reinvest £8.3bn from the cancelled northern leg of HS2 into repairing local roads, as well as to guarantee increased funding for local councils for road maintenance over a long-term period.

Review insurance premiums

According to the Association of British Insurers (ABI), average premiums rose by a third in the 12 months March 2024, with costs felt more keenly by younger drivers. Many have called for a Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) investigation into premiums set by motor insurers, as well as a reduction in Insurance Premium Tax.

Monitor fuel prices

As everyone will have noticed, both diesel and petrol are still too expensive on forecourts across the country. To give drivers a better deal at the pumps, it has been suggested that the government set up a Pumpwatch scheme and price monitoring body to ensure retailers are passing on savings from significant drops in wholesale price.

Reduce road casualties

Government statistics show that the number of pedestrian fatalities is at its highest since before the pandemic. To tackle this frightening statistic, industry bodies are calling on the government to reinstate formal road casualty targets, work closer with police and road safety organisations and look into issues that cause accidents, such as headlight glare and review all-lane running stretches of smart motorways.

Support the transition to electric vehicles

There have been several suggestions made in order to help us hit the 2030 zero-emission target. These include the reintroduction of a plug-in car grant and a reduction in VAT for public EV charging.

Make parking fair

To ensure private parking operators are not fining drivers to excess, the government has been asked to revise the Parking Code of Practice. They have also been called upon to ensure that drivers can always pay by at least two different means and roll out a National Parking Platform so that drivers can use one app as opposed to lots of different ones.

What do you want to see the government tackle when it comes to motorist issues? Let us know by joining in the conversation over on LinkedIn.