The UK’s Department for Transport (DfT) is set to launch a review into highways policing and traffic enforcement in order to improve safety for road users.

The review will examine how existing roads policing works, its effectiveness, and where improvements could be made or gaps could be plugged.

The two-year review is jointly funded by the DfT and Highways England. To execute the project, the DfT will also collaborate with the Home Office and the National Police Chiefs’ Council.

UK Road Safety Minister Michael Ellis said: “We have strong laws in place to ensure people are kept safe on our roads at all times.

“But roads policing is a key deterrent in stopping drivers breaking the law and risking their and other people’s lives.

“This review will not only highlight where police forces are doing good work, it will show what more can be done to improve road safety.”

Working methodology of the police and different agencies and the way they share information will also be examined during the review.

The review will also recommend measures to increase capability and capacity of various agencies.

In addition, the review will consider how to improve roads policing in rural and urban areas and at the strategic road network.

A call for evidence to find out what currently works will be launched this autumn. Findings and recommendations are expected to be released in 2020.

Based on the outcome of the review, a pilot programme to test out findings could start next year.

The DfT said that the review process will not put the additional workload on existing police forces. To help free up police time, the DfT has launched a new version of the Collision Reporting and Sharing software.

Using this app, police officers can report crash data and locations on-site, instead of returning to a police station to duplicate paperwork on a computer.

Off late, the DfT has invested in developing roadside breathalysers, which will allow suspected drunk drivers to be tested at the roadside.