 | This article contains wording that promotes the subject in a subjective manner without imparting real information.(April 2025) |
| Formation | 1991 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | 89-91 Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5HS |
| Website | https://www.racfoundation.org/ |
The RAC Foundation (Royal Automobile Club Foundation for Motoring), aka The RAC [1] (not to be confused with RAC Limited), is a United Kingdom transport policy and research organisation [2] registered as a charity.
The RAC Foundation was established in 1991 as the research arm of RAC Motoring Services Ltd, which at the time was owned by the Royal Automobile Club. In 1999, following the sale of Motoring Services, the foundation became an independent body and received financial support from RAC members. It subsequently obtained charitable status. [3] [4]
The foundation is governed by a board of six trustees and a Public Policy Committee with fourteen members. Neville Jackson is chair of both the Board of Trustees and the Public Policy Committee. [5]
Day-to-day operations are led by the director. The current director is Steve Gooding, who has held the post since May 2015. [6]
The foundation conducts research in four areas: economics, environment, mobility, and safety. It also maintains interactive data resources, such as data charts on fuel prices and the uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles. In addition to in-house research, the foundation commissions external experts to provide policy analysis, and some of its findings have been referenced by media outlets. [7] [8]
In 2010 and 2011, the foundation was among the sponsors of the RAC Brighton to London Future Car Challenge. [9] Research data on participating low-carbon vehicles was published in Shades of Green (2010) [10] and The Green Charge (2011). [11]
In 2017, the foundation contributed to Gergely Raccuja's winning entry for the Wolfson Economics Prize. The proposal, titled 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 declines with the growth of low-emission vehicles.
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]
In 2023, New Civil Engineer , the magazine of the Institution of Civil Engineers, reported that several experts had raised concerns about an RAC Foundation report which stated that "one in 24 UK road bridges are substandard". [13]
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 was not the case. She explained that the term "substandard" in the report also included bridges unable to accommodate vehicles weighing up to 44 tonnes. [13]
Although the RAC Foundation had referred to the weight restriction in its report, independent bridge consultant Richard Fish also questioned whether including such bridges under the "substandard" category was appropriate. [13]
Key publications and research include: