National Highways routinely reviews the management of major incidents to identify lessons learned and opportunities for improvement. In relation to the closure of the M25 on 16 July 2026, National Highways will undertake both an internal debrief and contribute to multi-agency review processes involving the emergency services and other partners.

Major incidents on the Strategic Road Network (SRN) are managed through a multi-agency response led by the police. National Highways works in accordance with the Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Principles (JESIP) and the Collision, Lead, Evaluate, Act, Reopen (CLEAR) process and supports partners in delivering a coordinated response.

As part of the review process, National Highways will consider the tactical options available and deployed during the incident, including arrangements for traffic management, the release of trapped traffic where appropriate, and support for driver welfare. The review will identify what worked well and any areas where improvements can be made.

National Highways will share relevant lessons learned with operational partners and incorporate any agreed actions into future incident management arrangements. The Government is also supporting work to review local arrangements for driver welfare during major incidents.

There are no current plans to review either the CLEAR or JESIP processes which National Highway works in accordance with to clear incidents on the SRN.

Although there is no obligation to report all animal deaths on roads, drivers should, if possible, make enquiries to ascertain the owner of domestic animals, such as cats, and advise them of the situation.

There are, however, no plans to introduce a legal duty for drivers to report collisions with cats. Cats are much smaller than other specified animals, and often most active at dawn or dusk. In many cases drivers, especially those of larger vehicles, may not be aware they have hit them. As such, it would be difficult to prosecute drivers if the law was changed.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) is the independent body responsible for investigating rail accidents and determining their causes. In its report on the collision between two passenger trains near Talerddig, Powys, RAIB did not identify dynamic passing, dynamic loops or their absence as a cause of the accident, nor as a factor that worsened its consequences.

Statistics on road collisions and casualties are published on the government site which include data on the overall cost of prevention of road casualties and collisions. However, the published figures do not provide a breakdown of the costs attributable to a particular vehicle type.

The Government is committed to reducing the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads.

The latest available statistics show that, in 2023, there was a central estimate of 260 fatalities and around 1,860 people killed or seriously injured in collisions involving at least one driver or rider over the legal alcohol limit. Both figures decreased compared with 2022 but remained higher than in 2013.

In January 2026, the Government published its Road Safety Strategy, setting an ambition to reduce deaths and serious injuries on Britain’s roads by 65% by 2035. As part of this, we have consulted on measures to tackle drink‑driving, including lowering the legal alcohol limit and strengthening enforcement. We are currently considering the responses received.

The Government also continues to run THINK! campaigns and work with police, the hospitality sector and other partners to reinforce the message that drivers should not drink before getting behind the wheel.

The hon. Lady is right to raise concerns about the use of illegal e-bikes and the danger they cause on our roads. New powers in the Crime and Policing Act 2026 mean that the police can seize e-bikes classed as motor vehicles when they are being used antisocially without the need to give a warning.

The Secretary of State will know that e-bikes do not require insurance, but we are seeing some pedestrians suffer catastrophic injuries due to the additional weight of these bikes compared with a normal bike. Is she giving any consideration to reviewing the rules on this issue?

Dangerous behaviour by any road user is, of course, completely unacceptable. We are aware of the concerns raised about the use of illegal e-bikes, particularly in relation to the gig economy. My Department has commissioned specific research into those issues so that we can better plan action to tackle that.

One of my constituents was nearly knocked over on a dedicated cycle path by an illegal e-bike. Riders in the gig economy in particular ride fast and dangerously. What steps are being taken to tackle the demands of illegal bikes in the gig economy?

I extend my sympathies to the family, who are the hon. Member’s constituents. I would, of course, be very happy to meet them to talk about what we can do to improve safety on that road, as we are doing across the country.

Seventeen-year-old Oakley Meer lost his life in a collision on Beachy Head Road in Eastbourne. Will the Minister meet me and Oakley’s family to discuss how we can improve road safety on that treacherous road?

The Department for Transport has not made a specific assessment of the cost-benefit ratio of traffic calming infrastructure compared with healthcare costs arising from road traffic collisions. Decisions on the provision of traffic calming measures are a matter for local highway authorities, which are responsible for managing their road networks and assessing local needs and priorities.

Road safety is a matter the Government takes very seriously and National Highways is committed to reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured on England’s motorways and major A-roads. National Highways works closely with the Police and other partners to ensure it has an evidence based understanding of fatal collisions and collision hotspots on its network, in addition to regional reviews and monitoring. This analysis supports National Highways in making targeted interventions on its network to reduce collision numbers and severity. More broadly, National Highways seeks to improve safety through its partnership working, such as with the Police and businesses to support safe driving behaviours.

Road safety is a matter the Government takes very seriously and National Highways is committed to reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured on England’s motorways and major A-roads. National Highways works closely with the Police and other partners to ensure it has an evidence based understanding of fatal collisions and collision hotspots on its network, in addition to regional reviews and monitoring. This analysis supports National Highways in making targeted interventions on its network to reduce collision numbers and severity. More broadly, National Highways seeks to improve safety through its partnership working, such as with the Police and businesses to support safe driving behaviours.

Road safety is a matter the Government takes very seriously and National Highways is committed to reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured on England’s motorways and major A-roads. National Highways works closely with the Police and other partners to ensure it has an evidence based understanding of fatal collisions and collision hotspots on its network, in addition to regional reviews and monitoring. This analysis supports National Highways in making targeted interventions on its network to reduce collision numbers and severity. More broadly, National Highways seeks to improve safety through its partnership working, such as with the Police and businesses to support safe driving behaviours.

The Department does not hold information on the purpose for which a minibus involved in a road collision was being used.

The number of reported personal injury road casualties in collisions involving a minibus by casualty severity from 2015 to 2024 in Great Britain can be found in the below table:

Statistics on the proportion of reported road casualties in England by deprivation level are published on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-casualties-and-deprivation-factsheet-2024-england

Generally, there are a higher proportion of road casualties who live in the more deprived areas. In 2024, the difference in casualties between the most deprived 10% and least deprived 10% IMD decide was 4.9 percentage points, with 11.8% of casualties living in the most deprived 10% of areas, compared to 6.8% for the least deprived 10%.

Within the Road Safety Strategy, we committed to monitoring a Safety Performance Indicator regarding the proportion of casualties in road traffic collisions with Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) in the lowest decile. The Safety Performance Indicators will be monitored as part of delivery of the Road Safety Strategy.

On 7 January 2026 we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all.

The Strategy includes commitments to refresh best practice on setting local speed limits, update guidance on the use of speed and red-light cameras, and publish a new edition of the Manual for Streets.

The Strategy sets an ambitious target to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on British roads by 65%, and 70% for children under 16, by 2035.

We recognise some local authorities may wish to go further and set more ambitious local targets. Many local authorities also have targets in place, many of which are a 50% reduction in KSIs by 2030, as well as some having vision zero targets. We welcome these approaches. We do not want to deter this ongoing work by unilaterally setting targets for local authorities.

Road safety is a shared responsibility, and this strategy reflects that. It considers action needed by government, local authorities, industry, emergency services and communities to tackle the causes of collisions and save lives.

The Department has not made a specific assessment of the levels of claims to The Motor Insurers’ Bureau from victims of collisions caused by e-bikes that do not comply with legal limits on power and speed.

The Department is working with the Motor Insurer’s Bureau to understand the impact of illegal e-bikes on car drivers’ insurance premiums.