Most serious road collisions don’t happen because of bad luck. They happen because of decisions, assumptions, and systems that quietly fail us over time. After decades at the sharp end of road safety, Rob Heard has seen exactly how those failures play out and why so many of them never needed to happen in the first place. This conversation goes far beyond driving. It’s about risk perception, dignity, behaviour change, and what safety leaders in any industry can learn from the roads we all share every day.
Rob brings rare insight from hundreds of fatal collisions, national policy work, and years of campaigning that has helped shift the conversation from punishment to prevention. From eyesight and ageing to safer systems and learning cultures, this is a grounded, practical discussion about how better decisions genuinely save lives.
Highlights
- Most fatal collisions are preventable: Around 95 percent linked to known, repeatable risk factors
- Older drivers and the real data: Risk rises with age, but dignity and independence still matter
- Eyesight as a critical safety control: Vision underpins 90 percent of driving decisions
- Why self-certification fails: Defective vision and medical conditions often go unreported
- From blame to learning: Education and assessment outperform punishment in risk reduction
- MOT yourself, not just the car: Fitness, cognition, eyesight, and habits all matter
- Safer systems thinking: Roads, vehicles, people, speeds, and post-collision learning
Resources and actions:
- Sign up for a future Safety Roundtable: https://safetyroundtable.co.uk/
- Connect with Rob on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-heard/
- Connect with Christian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-harris-slip-safety/
