Brake (charity)

Brake (charity)
Name	Brake
Type	Charity
Founded	1995
Founder	Pat Thomas
Headquarters	Leeds, United Kingdom
Area served	United Kingdom; international programs
Focus	Road safety, victim support, road casualty prevention

Brake (charity) is a UK-based charity focused on road safety, victim support, and prevention of road casualties. It operates services for people bereaved or injured in road collisions and runs campaigns, training, research, and public awareness initiatives across the United Kingdom and internationally. Brake collaborates with policymakers, transport authorities, health services, and civil society to promote safer streets and reduce deaths and injuries on road networks.

History

Brake was established in 1995 by Pat Thomas in response to rising concern about road deaths and injuries in the United Kingdom. In its early years the charity developed links with organizations such as the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, Transport Research Laboratory, and local authorities including Leeds City Council to create bereavement support services and public information campaigns. Over subsequent decades Brake expanded partnerships with health-sector institutions like the National Health Service (England) and road-safety bodies such as Highways England, while engaging with international actors including the World Health Organization and the European Commission on traffic-safety policy exchanges. The charity evolved from local support provision to a national campaigning and training organization, influencing legislative debates in the Parliament of the United Kingdom and working alongside charities like RoadPeace and TomTom Foundation.

Mission and Activities

Brake’s stated mission is to end road death and injury and support those affected by crashes. The charity combines direct services—bereavement counselling, survivor networks, and helplines—with preventive activities including public awareness, professional training, and policy advocacy. Brake works with corporate partners such as Transport for London and private sector firms in the automotive sector, while liaising with emergency services including NHS England ambulance trusts and police forces like the Metropolitan Police Service on post-crash care and casualty reduction. The organization also engages local community groups and schools such as those under the Department for Education to promote safe travel behavior.

Campaigns and Advocacy

Brake leads and contributes to high-profile campaigns on issues ranging from speed reduction to safer infrastructure and vulnerable road-user protection. It has campaigned on legislative and regulatory matters debated in the House of Commons and House of Lords, including vehicle safety standards promoted by the European Parliament and national ministries such as the Department for Transport (United Kingdom). Campaigns have targeted speed limits, drink- and drug-driving enforcement involving agencies like Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, and improvements to cycling and pedestrian provision advocated to councils such as Greater Manchester Combined Authority. Brake collaborates with advocacy organizations including Sustrans, Living Streets, and international NGOs like Safe Kids Worldwide to amplify public messaging and press for policy change.

Education and Training Programs

Brake delivers training for professionals across sectors—teachers, fleet managers, healthcare workers, and local authority staff—on road-safety best practice and post-collision care. Program partnerships include academic institutions such as University of Leeds and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine for curriculum design, and commercial fleets managed by companies like Stagecoach Group and logistics firms. Training topics cover vulnerable road-user protection, speed management, and post-crash response aligned with guidance from bodies such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Brake also runs school-based educational campaigns coordinated with agencies like Education and Skills Funding Agency and voluntary youth organizations including Scouting.

Research and Publications

Brake produces policy briefings, statistical analyses, and guidance documents drawing on data from sources such as Department for Transport (United Kingdom), Office for National Statistics, and academic studies published in journals like Injury Prevention and The Lancet Public Health. Its publications examine trends in road fatalities, the effects of speed and vehicle design on outcomes, and evaluations of interventions including infrastructure projects funded by entities like the European Investment Bank. Brake’s research is cited in parliamentary inquiries, technical reports by the Transport Research Laboratory, and in collaborative studies with universities including University of Cambridge and University College London.

Funding and Governance

Brake’s operations are supported through a mix of charitable donations, corporate partnerships, training income, and grants from trusts and foundations such as the Big Lottery Fund and philanthropic bodies. The charity is governed by a board of trustees composed of individuals with backgrounds in public health, transport policy, and victim support, and complies with regulatory oversight by the Charity Commission for England and Wales. Corporate collaborations have included work with vehicle manufacturers, fleet operators, and insurance-sector stakeholders such as Association of British Insurers, while maintaining declared policies to manage conflicts of interest.

Impact and Recognition

Brake’s work has influenced road-safety policy debates, contributed to media coverage in outlets like the BBC and The Guardian, and supported thousands of bereaved families and injured survivors through helplines and support networks. The charity has received recognition from civic bodies and has been cited in reports by parliamentary committees and international agencies such as the World Health Organization. Evaluations of its education and advocacy initiatives show contributions to awareness-raising and local policy shifts on speed limits and pedestrian infrastructure, while its training programs have been adopted by public- and private-sector partners across the United Kingdom.

Category:Charities based in the United Kingdom Category:Road safety