RAC Foundation

This article is about the charity. For the motoring services company, see RAC Limited.

The RAC Foundation (Royal Automobile Club Foundation) is a UK charity that undertakes transport research and policy analysis. Its work spans transport economics and funding, environmental impacts, mobility and access, and road safety. The foundation publishes reports, briefings and datasets intended for use by policymakers, practitioners and the public.

History

The foundation was established in 1991 as the research division of RAC Motoring Services. Following corporate changes in the late 1990s involving the Royal Automobile Club, the organisation became independent and was later registered as a charity.

Organisation

The foundation is governed by a board of trustees and advised by a Public Policy Committee. Day-to-day operations are carried out by the director and senior staff.

Work

The foundation’s activity includes policy research, analysis of official and proprietary datasets, and the public release of data resources. Areas of focus commonly include:

• transport economics and revenue
• environmental effects of road travel and vehicle technology
• mobility, access and demand
• road safety and risk

Outputs are published as reports, short notes and data releases on subjects such as fuel prices, vehicle use and low-emission vehicles. The foundation has also supported external projects where these align with its research aims.

Criticism

Work published by the foundation has periodically been discussed in engineering and transport media, including debate about terminology and the presentation of findings in specific reports.

See also

• Royal Automobile Club
• Road safety in the United Kingdom
• Transport in the United Kingdom

External links

• Official website

Publications

References

Publications

• Roads and Reality^[1]
• The Car in British Society^[2]
• Governing and Paying for England’s Roads^[3]
• Keeping the Nation Moving^[4]
• Fuel for Thought, the What, Why and How of Motoring Taxation^[5]
• On the Move: Car and Rail Travel Trends^[6]
• Powering Ahead: Future of Low-Carbon Cars and Fuels^[7]
• Ploughing On - Winter Resilience Review^[8]
• The Car and the Commute^[9]
• Graduated Driver Licensing - Mapping the Cost of Young Driver Accidents^[10]
• Saving Lives by Lowering Legal Drink-Drive Limit^[11]
• Effectiveness of Average Speed Cameras^[12]
• Air Quality and Road Transport^[13]
• Diesel Scrappage - Could it Work?^[14]
• Towards an Accident Investigation Branch for Roads^[15]
• New car mileage - analysis of MOT data^[16]