Full Breakdown
Road Crime Victims Report Highlights Systemic Gaps in England and Wales
8/13/2026, 10:42:45 PM
Core Findings of the Victims’ Commissioner Review
The Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales, Claire Waxman OBE, released a review based on interviews with bereaved families and seriously injured survivors of criminal road collisions. The report concludes that many victims feel “forgotten by the system” and that road-crime cases are treated with less seriousness than other serious offences.
Data and Scale
- Almost 30,000 people were killed or seriously injured on roads in England and Wales in the year to June 2025.
- 1,579 road deaths were recorded, more than three times the number of homicides in the same period.
- An estimated 25-30 % of collisions involve criminal driving behaviours such as driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol or excessive speeding.
- Investigations into fatal driving offences took an average of 372 days before police recorded an outcome.
Official Statements & Responses
- The Victims’ Commissioner issued six formal recommendations, including stronger national standards for investigations, mandatory trauma-informed police training, automatic referrals to specialist charities, long-term funding for victim organisations, and clearer information on compensation and civil claims.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Road crime is not taken seriously, not at all. It's not treated as a real crime, and that's the way you feel the whole way through.” — Another
What’s Next
- All agencies addressed in the recommendations must publish a public response within 56 days, outlining actions they will take or reasons for inaction.
- The government’s Road Safety Strategy, unveiled in January 2026, includes a new Roads Policing Innovation Programme and proposals for tougher action against uninsured, unlicensed, MOT-failed or non-reporting drivers.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- No major discrepancies appear across the sources regarding casualty figures or investigation timelines. However, the review notes a systemic gap: victims of road collisions cannot access the National Homicide Service, unlike families of homicide victims, leaving a shortfall in formal support pathways.
