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| Formation | 1991 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | 89-91 Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5HS |
| Website | www |
The RAC Foundation (Royal Automobile Club Foundation for Motoring) is a charitable organization registered in England and Wales that focuses on transport policy and research.
The RAC Foundation was created in 1991 as the research division of RAC Motoring Services Ltd, then owned by the Royal Automobile Club. After the sale of RAC Motoring Services in 1999, the foundation was reconstituted as an independent body, initially supported by subscriptions from former RAC members. It later registered as a charity [1] [2]
The foundation is governed by a board of six trustees and a Public Policy Committee consisting of fourteen members. Neville Jackson serves as the chair of both the Board of Trustees and the Public Policy Committee. [1] The day-to-day operations are led by the director, currently Steve Gooding, who has held the post since May 2015. [3]
The RAC Foundation's research focuses on four areas: economics, environment, mobility, and safety. It also provides interactive data resources, notably data charts on fuel prices and the adoption of ultra-low-emission vehicles. In addition to conducting in-house research, the foundation commissions external experts to provide policy analysis. [4] [5]
In 2010 and 2011, the foundation sponsored RAC Brighton to the London Future Car Challenge [6] and published research data on participating low-carbon vehicles. [7] [8]
In 2017, the foundation contributed to Gergely Raccuja's winning entry for the Wolfson Economics Prize. [9] 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. [10]
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. [11]
In 2023, New Civil Engineer , the Institution of Civil Engineers magazine, reported that several experts had raised concerns about a RAC Foundation report which stated "one in 24 UK road bridges are substandard". [12] Hazel McDonald, chief bridge engineer at Transport Scotland, noted that presenting the figure of 4.53% in this way could give the misleading impression that one in 24 bridges required closure, which she believed to be inaccurate. She explained that the term "substandard" in the report also included bridges unable to accommodate vehicles weighing up to 44 tonnes. [12]
While the RAC Foundation had referred to the weight restriction in its report, independent bridge consultant Richard Fish questioned whether including such bridges under the "substandard" category was appropriate. [12]
Publications and research include:
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