The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced a £38.3 million investment to enhance the safety of 17 high-risk roads across England.

This funding is part of a larger £185.8 million initiative aimed at preventing fatal and serious injuries over the next two decades.

According to the Road Safety Foundation (RSF), it is estimated that all tranches of the Safer Road Fund will save nearly 2,600 fatal and serious injuries over the next 20 years.

Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, said: “Britain’s roads are some of the safest in the world, but we are always looking at ways to help keep drivers and all road users safe.

“As part of the government’s plan to improve roads across the country, we’re providing an extra £38 million so that local councils in England have the support they need to keep everyone safe while reducing congestion and helping to grow the economy.”

The improvements will encompass various measures, including the redesign of junctions and roundabouts, enhanced signage and road markings, new road surfacing and landscape management, as well as improved pedestrian crossings and cycle lanes.

The investment forms part of the government's £24 billion Roads Investment Strategy, its 30-point Plan for Drivers, and the largest ever increase in funding for local road improvements through the reallocation of £8.3 billion from the High Speed 2 (HS2) project.

Steve Gooding, Director, RAC Foundation, said: The Safer Roads Fund is the hugely welcome gift that keeps on giving because today’s announcement means another 120 miles of safer road improvements will be delivered to the benefit of users. Such incremental improvements are key to achieving our collective aim for a safer road network as a whole.