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Dev's Law: New Tech Mandate to Save Lives on UK Roads
7 Jan
Summary
- New road safety strategy mandates advanced safety tech in vehicles.
- Dev's Law honours a child lost in a smart motorway collision.
- Autonomous emergency braking is a key technology promoted.
The UK government has announced a new road safety strategy targeting a substantial reduction in road casualties by 2035. A cornerstone of this plan is "Dev's Law," a pledge to mandate advanced safety technology in all new vehicles. This initiative is a profound tribute to eight-year-old Dev, who died in a motorway collision in 2018. His mother, Meera Naran, tirelessly campaigned for these changes following the devastating accident.
The collision occurred on a smart motorway where the hard shoulder had been converted for traffic use. The car Dev was traveling in stopped, and a lorry subsequently collided with it, resulting in Dev's death and serious injuries to his grandfather. Naran's advocacy initially focused on smart motorway safety but expanded to include crucial vehicle technologies like autonomous emergency braking (AEB).
Naran emphasized that AEB technology could have potentially prevented the accident that claimed her son's life. While features like AEB are common in new cars, they are not currently mandatory in Britain. The new strategy is built on evidence and driven by the personal experiences of those affected by road collisions, with Naran's advocacy being a key influence.
