Chris Floyd, Evri’s Transport and Safety Lead, has been appointed Chair of RoSPA advisory body, the National Road Safety Committee. Caitlin Taylor, RoSPA’s Road Safety Manager, England, introduces Chris and tells us more about his background in road safety.

The National Road Safety Committee (NRSC) serves as a pivotal advisory body to RoSPA, bringing together a diverse range of organisations committed to improving road safety. This voluntary association represents a broad spectrum of expertise, with its members selected to ensure a comprehensive focus on reducing road casualties and shaping evidence-based policies. Through its collaborative efforts, the NRSC provides expert advice, supports the development of national and international road safety strategies, and promotes the Safe System approach to road safety management. Its governance comprises of representatives from member organisations, co-opted individuals, and RoSPA leadership.

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Chris Floyd as the new Chair of the National Road Safety Committee. With over 20 years of professional and personal dedication to road safety, Chris brings a unique blend of hands-on experience and strategic insight to the role. From his early days as an HGV driver to his leadership in transport management and road safety advocacy, Chris has witnessed the profound impact of road safety on individuals, families, and communities. As Chair, he aims to build on the Committee’s legacy, fostering collaboration and driving actionable change that benefits all road users. With a focus on balancing data-driven insights with the human stories behind the statistics. Chris is committed to steering the NRSC toward meaningful advancements in road safety for all.

In this Q&A, Chris shares his insights and vision for the future of road safety.

Chris, can you tell us what motivated you to accept the role of Chair of the RoSPA National Road Safety Committee?

“I’m delighted to have been asked to Chair the RoSPA National Road Safety Committee. Safety on the roads has been both a professional and personal interest for 20 years and one of the key factors in that interest has always been the opportunity to work with some of the unbelievably talented and dedicated people in the sector. I always welcome the chance to do more of that.”
 

You’ve had a diverse career. Can you share how your journey in road safety began?

“I started working as an HGV driver 20 years ago. One of the things that remains as true now as it did back then is our society’s significant reliance on the roads for movement of goods, regular and routine movement of people and for leisure time. For all the economic and social changes in our society since 2005, that need for a safe and efficient road network remains.”
 

Outside of work, how have your personal passions and interests shaped your perspective on road safety?

“Away from work, I’ve interests in exploration and in people. Since 2009 I’ve held a Fellowship of the Royal Geographical Society and have travelled through the Himalayas, also having the good fortune to sail the Atlantic on a 51ft racing yacht. In each case, whether transport is undertaken by human strength on foot or through balanced loading of a sailing vessel, the necessity to ensure the safety of a journey is clearly a universal aim. If anything, the ease and frequency with which we can make a journey on the UK roads has potentially lowered how we each perceive the associated risk.”
 

Can you tell us more about your involvement in the road safety community and your contributions to it?

“I have held a Fellowship of the Institute of Couriers since 2020 and since 2022 have chaired their Road Safety & Wellbeing group. As part of this voluntary role, I have been fortunate enough to write and deliver the Bridget Driscoll Memorial Lecture on Road Safety as part of the Degree in Express Logistics offered by the University of West London. I additionally hold a Chartered Membership of the CILT and have been an active participant in events hosted by RoSPA, ScORSA, National Highways, Project Edward, Road Safety GB, TRL and PACTS to name a few.”   
 

With your experience as a commercial driver and in transport management, what lessons have you learned about road safety?

“From my time as a commercial driver, subsequently progressing through various levels of transport and corporate management, I have seen both the personal and the economic impact of incidents on our roads. We should seek to never lose sight of the personal ramifications felt by those involved in these incidents along with any subsequent suffering endured by their families and friends.”
 

You mentioned working with families who have lost loved ones in road incidents. How has that shaped your approach to road safety?

“As an investigator I’ve spent much time looking at and gathering further information, whether about a specific scene, or with broader, pre-emptive topics in mind.  None of my activities however, proactive, or reactive, have left an impression greater than having spent time in the company of families who have lost someone or individuals who have been behind the wheel themselves and been involved in a collision.  Their need for information, for understanding, for the smallest piece of relevance, remains the most humbling experience.”
 

How do you think the road safety sector can balance the use of data and the human impact of road incidents?

“Our sector is not short of talented investigators, analysts, managers and activists. We are now able to access more information on the numbers, types and outcomes of road incidents than ever before. What I hope we never do however is forget that each data set, each statistic, has a name, has a family associated with it. If we are to continue to make our roads safer, we must not allow ourselves to become too fixated on only numerical or statistical success.  A reduction in number of incidents is always welcome, so long as we don’t lose sight of what each, single number remaining represents.”
 

You’ve been a long-time supporter of RoSPA. What do you hope to achieve as Chair of the NRSC?

“I’ve long been a fan, an advocate and a supporter of RoSPA. The brand, the ethos and the ability to influence positive change is something that cannot be overstated.  One need only look at the number of attendees at the annual RoSPA Awards, where thousands celebrate improvements in cultural safety across many so many, diverse fields. The National Road Safety Committee carries the same brand, should adhere to the same ethos and we should aim no lower than a defined ability to influence positive change for those who use the road. After all, our fellow road users include our friends, our families and our colleagues.”
 

What is your vision for the future of the road safety sector and the NRSC’s role in it?

“The road safety sector has outstanding people applying their skills to a wide variety of projects, using a broad range of data. My hope is over the coming years, using new and existing associations and staying true to strategies such as the excellent, recently launched National Accident Prevention Strategy, that the Committee can build on its history and previous successes and help local, national and international decision makers to see clearly what can or must be done and shine a light on plausible, sustainable routes to achieve it.

“I could not be prouder to continue my association with RoSPA by chairing this Committee, I will gladly welcome support from other members, old, new and future.”

Caitlin Taylor is RoSPA’s Road Safety Manager for England.