PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release
Wednesday 14 January 2026
Driver First Assist (DFA) has today published a major new white paper setting out the case for a structured national post-crash response system, fully aligned with the Government’s newly announced National Road Safety Strategy and its commitment to the Safe System approach.
The white paper, Safer Roads: Stronger Communities, supports the Strategy’s direction of travel by focusing on one of the least developed but most time-critical aspects of road safety: what happens in the minutes immediately after a road traffic collision, before emergency services arrive.
The Government’s Road Safety Strategy formally adopts the Safe System, within which post-crash response is recognised as a core pillar. While the Strategy does not set out a specific national post-crash response programme, DFA’s white paper provides an already developed practical, scalable framework for delivery, focused on equipping drivers with the skills to respond safely, lawfully and effectively at the scene of road traffic collisions.
Commenting on the policy significance of this approach, Beverley Bell, former GB Senior Traffic Commissioner and author of the white paper’s foreword, said:
“The Government’s Road Safety Strategy rightly recognises that responsibility for safety is shared. This white paper shows how post-crash response, often the least developed part of the system, can be strengthened in a practical, proportionate way. Equipping drivers with the right skills is not only sensible, it is long overdue.”
The white paper argues that while prevention remains vital, road safety policy must also address the reality that professional and at-work drivers are already present on the road network every day, often arriving at incidents before emergency services. With the proper training and support, this group represents a latent national capability to reduce harm, save lives and improve outcomes.
From a trauma care perspective, Sir Keith Porter, Emeritus Professor of Traumatology, added:
“The actions taken in the first few minutes after a serious incident can be decisive. A structured approach that enables trained bystanders to act safely and appropriately has the potential to save lives, reduce injury severity and improve long-term outcomes. This white paper sets out a compelling case for making that capability routine rather than exceptional.”
Beyond the immediate safety benefits, the white paper highlights several broader and long-standing issues that a structured post-crash response system can address.
First, it tackles a persistent inequality in first-aid provision. While fixed-site employees are routinely supported with trained first aiders and emergency procedures, drivers and other mobile workers are often left unsupported at the roadside, despite being exposed to foreseeable risk as part of their work.
Second, it defines how post-crash preparedness helps businesses meet their regulatory responsibilities, particularly under health and safety legislation requiring employers to assess risk and provide appropriate training for work-related activities, including driving.
Third, the proposed approach delivers transferable life skills for drivers, including dynamic risk assessment, situational awareness, trauma-informed first aid, and effective decision-making under pressure; skills that are relevant far beyond the road and closely align with the principles underpinning Martyn’s Law and wider resilience planning.
Reflecting on the evidence base for early intervention, Tim Nutbeam, Professor of Emergency Medicine and lead of the Road Injury Chain of Survival research, said:
“Early intervention is a critical link in the chain of survival following road traffic collisions. Developing the skills and confidence of those who are already on scene aligns strongly with the evidence and complements the work being done across emergency services and trauma systems.”
Finally, the white paper argues that empowering drivers in this way promotes safer behaviours overall, reinforcing professionalism, responsibility and confidence, and helping drivers become safer, more capable employees across all aspects of their work.
The publication comes as the Government prepares to pilot a National Work-Related Road Safety Charter, aimed at reducing the significant proportion of serious injuries and fatalities involving people driving or riding for work. DFA’s white paper positions structured post-crash preparedness as a natural and practical component of that initiative.
Concluding, David Higginbottom, founder of Driver First Assist, said:
“The Government’s Strategy sets a clear direction of travel. Our white paper is about delivery. A national post-crash response system equips drivers to respond safely at the scene of incidents, addresses a long-standing inequality in first-aid provision, helps employers meet their legal obligations, and equips people with life skills that extend far beyond the road. We are not proposing something theoretical; we are showing how an existing, proven capability can be scaled in support of national policy.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
Driver First Assist (DFA) is a UK not-for-profit organisation that works in partnership with emergency services to equip drivers with the skills to respond safely and effectively at the scene of road traffic collisions and other incidents.
Direct link to the white paper: www.driverfirstassist.org/whitepaper2026
Media contact details:
David Higginbottom
07825 225568
david@driverfirstassist.org