Transport for London (TfL) and the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) have committed a three-year funding allocation to a support service for victims of the most serious road traffic collisions in London.
National road safety charity Brake, which already runs a specialist support service for road victims across the UK, will oversee the project under a contract starting on 1 November 2025. A direct, consent-based referral mechanism to the service will be established with the Police to ensure that victims continue to be connected with timely support.
Brake will provide a team of dedicated London-based caseworkers to deliver trauma-informed emotional and practical support including help navigating the justice system, advocacy and access to specialist services. It will also work with Child Bereavement UK to provide specialist support for children and young people when someone important to them has died or is not expected to survive.
Claire Waxman OBE, London's Victims' Commissioner, said: 'Losing a loved one in a road traffic collision is a life changing experience and so many people will live with the grief for the rest of their lives. It's vital that families receive timely, specialist support to help them navigate the trauma and complex aftermath. TfL's new service is a crucial step forward in ensuring victims are not left to cope and recover alone, but are helped throughout the grieving process every step of the way.'
Kaya Comer Schwartz, deputy mayor of London for policing and crime, said: 'We are committing to delivering the Road Victim Support Service long-term, which will ensure those directly affected by road traffic collisions will receive practical, emotional and legal support that's tailored to their unique circumstances.'
The announcement follows a successful one-year pilot launched in 2023, which was delivered in partnership with the victim support charity RoadPeace and extended until this month.
The scheme established for the first time in London a direct police referral into support and demonstrated 'the value of early and proactive intervention, connecting victims with practical, emotional and legal support tailored to their unique circumstances,' TfL said.
It helped improve access to timely, trauma-informed, face-to-face support for bereaved families and those with life-changing injuries and won the support of service users.
Ross Moorlock, CEO of Brake, the road safety charity, said: 'We are delighted to continue this work, providing trauma-informed and individual-led support to road victims in London thanks to the pro-active support of TfL and MOPAC. Victim support is a key pillar of the safe systems approach to road safety and for as long as we are able, we will be there to help families in need.'
TfL has also launched a new behaviour change campaign aimed at reducing serious injuries and deaths among people who ride motorcycles and bicycles, urging drivers to ‘take another look, not a life'.
The campaign highlights the human impact of road collisions and failing to look properly, and has been influenced by bereaved families, with conversations facilitated in collaboration with RoadPeace.
