Global Road Safety Trust Gap Exposed as Public Confidence Outpaces Reality, New International Study Finds

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Millions of people around the world believe they are safe every time they travel by road, yet the professionals responsible for designing, building and managing transport systems are far less convinced. A new international study suggests that this disconnect could itself become a road safety challenge, with misplaced confidence encouraging riskier behaviour behind the wheel and on the streets.

The research, titled Safety in Motion: Driving Trust in Modern Mobility, was conducted by Economist Enterprise with support from Brembo. It surveyed both everyday road users and transport professionals across ten of the world’s largest vehicle-producing markets—Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States—which together account for roughly three-quarters of global vehicle production.

Its findings highlight a significant difference between how safe people feel and how safe experts believe modern mobility systems actually are.

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  90% of everyday drivers say they feel safe on the road. Only 45% of transport professionals agree.
• Just 3% of industry experts blame mechanical failure for safety incidents. 30% point to driver misuse or misunderstanding of driver-assistance tech; 24% blame distracting in-vehicle features.
• 65% of professionals believe advertising overstates what these systems can actually do;
• The gap is widest exactly where the roads are objectively most dangerous: in Brazil, China and India, 94% of drivers feel safe vs. just 18% of professionals—in markets with roughly double the fatality rate of the study average.
• Despite feeling safe, 88% of the public actually wantstricter safety rules and would pay more for safer transport.

Public Confidence Far Exceeds Expert Assessment

According to the study, around nine in ten respondents said they feel safe during their everyday journeys on the road. However, only 45% of transport professionals who work across planning, engineering and mobility operations shared that confidence.

Researchers argue that this mismatch represents more than a perception issue. With approximately 1.2 million people losing their lives in road crashes every year worldwide, they believe excessive public confidence may reduce vigilance, making it harder to improve road safety outcomes.

Jean Todt, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, warned that confidence without caution can have dangerous consequences. While trust is essential for efficient transport systems, he stressed that overconfidence may encourage unnecessary risks and weaken road safety efforts.

Fast-Growing Markets Show the Widest Trust Gap

The most striking differences between public opinion and expert assessment emerged in Brazil, China and India.

Across these three countries, 94% of road users reported feeling safe during their daily journeys, representing the highest confidence levels recorded in the survey. In contrast, only 18% of transport professionals in those markets believed current mobility systems deserved such confidence.

These countries also recorded an average road fatality rate of 16.2 deaths per 100,000 people—around twice the overall average across the markets included in the research.

Pratima Singh, Principal of Policy and Insights at Economist Enterprise and lead researcher for the study, said visible improvements such as upgraded infrastructure, smarter vehicles and expanding transport technology have strengthened public confidence. However, she noted that safety performance has not improved at the same pace, creating a disconnect between perception and reality.

Researchers suggest that when people assume roads and vehicles are inherently safer, they may become less attentive, ultimately increasing their exposure to risk.

Road Safety Confidence Varies Across Society

The report also reveals that trust in transport safety is not shared equally across different social and age groups.

Lower-income respondents were almost twice as likely as middle- and higher-income groups to express uncertainty or reduced confidence about their daily road safety.

Generational differences were equally noticeable. Millennials emerged as the most confident group, with 94% expressing high trust in road safety. By comparison, Generation Z and Baby Boomers were significantly more cautious, with 12% and 16% respectively reporting low or mixed confidence in their everyday journeys.

The findings suggest that personal experience, financial circumstances and differing attitudes towards technology all influence how individuals perceive transport safety.

Technology Is Shifting the Nature of Road Safety Risks

While advances in vehicle technology continue to improve braking, collision avoidance and driver assistance, transport professionals believe the biggest safety challenges are no longer mechanical.

Only 3% of experts surveyed identified mechanical failure as one of the leading causes of modern road incidents.

Instead, nearly one-third pointed to the misuse or misunderstanding of advanced driver-assistance systems as the most significant safety concern. Another quarter highlighted technologies that distract drivers from the road as a major emerging risk.

Interestingly, members of the public largely recognised their own behaviour as the greatest threat to road safety, suggesting that human decision-making remains central despite increasingly sophisticated vehicles.

Marketing of Driver Assistance Systems Comes Under Scrutiny

The report also raises questions about how advanced vehicle technologies are presented to consumers.

Nearly two-thirds of transport professionals believe marketing campaigns may exaggerate the capabilities of driver-assistance systems. Similar proportions argue that advertisements can unintentionally suggest motorists need to pay less attention while driving or focus heavily on benefits without adequately explaining operational limitations.

Researchers believe clearer communication about what these systems can and cannot do could help reduce misunderstanding and encourage more responsible use.

Strong Public Support Exists for Tougher Safety Measures

Despite expressing confidence in their own safety, the overwhelming majority of respondents indicated support for stronger road safety policies.

Around 88% said they would back measures such as lower speed limits, stricter enforcement and additional investment in safer transport systems. Many also stated they would be willing to pay more if it resulted in improved safety.

However, professionals identified coordination between governments, regulators and industry as one of the biggest obstacles to progress. More than two-thirds argued that fragmented policymaking slows the introduction of effective safety improvements.

Matteo Tiraboschi, Executive Chairman of Brembo, said reducing the trust gap requires coordinated action across the mobility sector. He emphasised that innovation must be matched by responsible regulation and transparent communication so that users understand both the strengths and limitations of emerging technologies.

Different Countries Require Different Road Safety Strategies

Rather than identifying a single global solution, the research concludes that trust in road safety is shaped by local culture, governance and institutional confidence.

The study groups countries into four distinct trust environments. Brazil, China and India are described as “Trust Optimists”, where confidence significantly exceeds safety performance. Japan and South Korea are classified as “Trust Guardians”, characterised by relatively strong alignment between public trust and expert opinion. France, Germany and Italy are labelled “Trust Pragmatists”, reflecting low fatality rates alongside cautious attitudes towards new technologies. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom and the United States are identified as “Trust Negotiators”, where confidence depends heavily on public trust in institutions and regulatory oversight.

The report concludes that improving road safety will require more than technological innovation. Transparent regulation, better public education, responsible product communication and stronger collaboration between governments and industry will all be essential if confidence is to reflect genuine improvements in safety rather than perception alone.