Brake, a UK road safety charity founded in 1995, says five people dying on UK roads every day must not be seen as normal. Through its National Road Victim Service, it supports bereaved and injured families while campaigning to prevent crashes and save lives.
Supporting families bereaved or injured in road crashes
Brake currently supports more than 950 families, including parents, grandparents, siblings, friends and witnesses to traumatic incidents.
Its specialist caseworkers help people manage grief and navigate investigations; court cases and claims for financial support. Around 7% of cases involve the death of a child and many involve multi-fatality crashes.
Campaigning for safer streets
Brake campaigns for proven safety measures, working with government, researchers and partners to prevent crashes and reduce harm. Its priorities for 2025 include:
- default 20mph speed limits in built-up areas
- stronger licensing rules for young, newly qualified drivers
- zero-tolerance on drink-driving
- life-saving technology fitted as standard on all new vehicles
- mandatory monitoring and reporting of work-related road incidents
Education
Brake delivers education programmes for schools, workplaces and communities to promote safe, healthy travel.
Children are among those most at risk, yet UK schools are not required to teach road safety. Brake works with schools to help pupils understand how to use roads safely, protect themselves and others, and call for safer journeys in their communities.
Its education work also supports employers, helping organisations manage work-related driving risks, which contribute to more than a third of UK road deaths.
Collecting donations
Brake supports memorial collections, helping families set up online tributes and donation pages, and providing materials such as envelopes and pin badges. For more information, phone 0808 8000 401, email help@brake.org.uk or visit www.brake.org.uk.