RAC Foundation

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Not to be confused with RAC Limited.

RAC Foundation
Royal Automobile Club Foundation
Formation1991
Headquarters89-91 Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5HS
Websitewww.racfoundation.org

The RAC Foundation (Royal Automobile Club Foundation) is a charitable organization registered in England and Wales that focuses on transport policy and research.[1]

History

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The RAC Foundation was established in 1991 as the research division of RAC Motoring Services Ltd. Following the sale of the company to the Royal Automobile Club in 1999, the foundation was reconstituted as an independent body, initially funded by subscriptions from former RAC members. It later registered as a charity.[2][3]

Organization

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The foundation is governed by a board of six trustees and a Public Policy Committee consisting of fourteen members. As of 2025, Neville Jackson serves as the chair of both the Board of Trustees and the Public Policy Committee.[2]The day-to-day operations are led by the current director, Steve Gooding, who has held the post since May 2015.[4]

Work

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The RAC Foundation’s research focuses on four key areas relating to roads: economics, environment, mobility, and safety. It also offers interactive data resources, including charts on fuel prices and the uptake of ultra-low-emission vehicles. Alongside its in-house research, the RAC foundation commissions external experts to deliver policy analysis.[5][6]

In 2010 and 2011, the foundation sponsored RAC Brighton to the London Future Car Challenge[7] and published research data on participating low-carbon vehicles.[8][9]

In 2017, the foundation contributed to Gergely Raccuja's winning entry for the Wolfson Economics Prize.[10] The proposal, entitled “Miles Better”, examined the feasibility of a distance-based road charge to replace fuel duty and Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), as revenue from these sources is expected to decline with the growth of low-emission vehicles.[11]

In June 2018, the Department for Transport announced £480,000 in funding for the foundation to support its Road Collision Investigation Project, which aims to trial a new approach to the investigation of road casualties.[12]

Criticism

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In 2023, New Civil Engineer reported expert concerns about a foundation report claiming that “one in 24 UK road bridges are substandard.”[13] Hazel McDonald, chief bridge engineer at Transport Scotland, argued that this phrasing was misleading, as many of the bridges included in the figure were safe but not rated to carry the maximum 44-tonne vehicles. Independent consultant Richard Fish also questioned the use of the term “substandard” in this context.[13]

Publications

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  • Roads and Reality[13]
  • The Car in British Society[14]
  • Governing and Paying for England’s Roads[15]
  • Keeping the Nation Moving[16]
  • Fuel for Thought, the What, Why and How of Motoring Taxation[17]
  • On the Move: Car and Rail Travel Trends[18]
  • Powering Ahead: Future of Low-Carbon Cars and Fuels[19]
  • Ploughing On - Winter Resilience Review[20]
  • The Car and the Commute[21]
  • Graduated Driver Licensing - Mapping the Cost of Young Driver Accidents[22]
  • Saving Lives by Lowering Legal Drink-Drive Limit[23]
  • Effectiveness of Average Speed Cameras[24]
  • Air Quality and Road Transport[25]
  • Diesel Scrappage - Could it Work?[26]
  • Towards an Accident Investigation Branch for Roads[27]
  • New car mileage - analysis of MOT data[28]

References

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  1. ^ "ROYAL AUTOMOBILE CLUB FOUNDATION FOR MOTORING LIMITED - Charity 1002705". prd-ds-register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  2. ^ a b "About Us". RAC Foundation. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  3. ^ "Royal Automobile Club Foundation for Motoring Limited". Charity Commission for England and Wales. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  4. ^ "Top Civil Servant to Lead Transport Research Charity". RAC Foundation. 5 March 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  5. ^ "Member Details - RAC Foundation". zemo.org.uk. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
  6. ^ "RAC Foundation - latest news". The Independent. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  7. ^ "The Future Car Challenge". The RAC Future Car Challenge. Archived from the original on 28 May 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  8. ^ "Shades of Green". RAC Foundation. 6 May 2011. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
  9. ^ "The Green Charge". RAC Foundation. 28 March 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  10. ^ Topham, Gwyn (13 July 2017). "Pay-per-mile road tax plan wins £250,000 Wolfson economics prize". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  11. ^ "RAC Foundation - RACF contributes to winning Wolfson prize entry". 14 July 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
  12. ^ "Drink drivers face swifter justice with new roadside breathalysers". gov.uk. 11 June 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  13. ^ a b c "Roads and Reality". RAC Foundation. 7 November 2008. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
  14. ^ "The Car in British Society". RAC Foundation. 17 April 2009. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
  15. ^ "Governing and Paying for England's Roads". RAC Foundation. 30 June 2010. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
  16. ^ "Keeping the Nation Moving". RAC Foundation. 21 November 2011. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
  17. ^ "Fuel for Thought". RAC Foundation. 12 May 2012. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
  18. ^ "On the Move Car and Rail Travel Trends". RAC Foundation. 3 December 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
  19. ^ "Powering Ahead: Future of Low-Carbon Cars and Fuels". RAC Foundation. 22 April 2013. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
  20. ^ "Ploughing On - Winter Resilience Review". RAC Foundation. 10 May 2013. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
  21. ^ "The Car and the Commute". RAC Foundation. 2 December 2013. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  22. ^ "Graduated Driver Licensing - Mapping the Cost of Young Driver Accidents". RAC Foundation. 27 May 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  23. ^ "saving Lives by Lowering Legal Drink-Drive Limit" (PDF). RAC Foundation. 16 December 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 January 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  24. ^ "Effectiveness of Average Speed Cameras" (PDF). RAC Foundation. 30 September 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  25. ^ "Air Quality and Road Transport". RAC Foundation. 4 June 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  26. ^ "Diesel Scrappage - Could it Work?" (PDF). RAC Foundation. 6 March 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  27. ^ "Towards an Accident Investigation Branch for Roads" (PDF). RAC Foundation. 15 December 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  28. ^ "New car mileage based on analysis of MOT data". racfoundation.org. Retrieved 4 May 2020.[dead link]
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