Story Highlight
– Brake announced 2025 UK Fleet Champions Awards winners.
– Ceremony held at New Dock Hall, Leeds.
– Over 270 attendees celebrated road safety commitments.
– Tony Crook recognized for 30 years in road safety.
– Fundraising efforts raised over £3,000 for Brake’s work.
Full Story
Brake has announced the recipients of its 2025 UK Fleet Champions Awards, highlighting the efforts of vehicle operators and organisations excelling in road safety initiatives. This year’s awards were presented on Thursday, 25 September, during a ceremony at New Dock Hall, part of the Royal Armouries in Leeds.
The event attracted over 270 attendees from the fleet sector to recognise the achievements of 50 shortlisted organisations and individuals, celebrating their dedication to enhancing road safety. A panel of independent judges from within the fleet industry selected the winners across twelve categories.
For more than two decades, the UK Fleet Champions Awards, organised by Brake, have acknowledged the ongoing efforts of fleet organisations and suppliers aiming to reduce traffic fatalities, injuries, and the environmental impact of their vehicles. This year, Brake partnered with Driving for Better Business by National Highways for the awards. The charity’s initiatives were supported by headline sponsor Geotab and further endorsements from ten other fleet suppliers and organisations.
Tony Crook, the road safety manager at Lancashire County Council, received the Kevin Storey Award for Outstanding Commitment to Road Safety, presented by last year’s winner, Nick Reed. Crook brings over 30 years of experience in road safety to his role and is the first public sector professional to be honoured with this award. His former positions include road safety lead for the National Fire Chiefs Council, where he advocated for zero vision and the safe systems approach.
Opening the ceremony, Brake’s CEO Ross Moorlock urged attendees to combat the ‘normalisation’ of road deaths and serious injuries. He pointed to the most recent statistics from the Department for Transport, which indicate that 1,602 individuals lost their lives in road incidents in 2024, with an additional 27,865 suffering serious injuries. Moorlock expressed concern regarding the stagnation in road safety improvements and the government’s slow implementation of necessary measures to enhance safety on the roads. He stated that collisions involving work-related travel account for about one-third of road deaths and a fifth of serious injuries in the UK.
In a keynote address, Paul Steinberg from the Road Safety Trust highlighted the essential role of fleet managers, framing them as often-overlooked advocates for safety. He underscored the importance of fostering a culture focused on prevention and shared responsibility in road safety.
Throughout the evening, attendees participated in fundraising activities, including a raffle, collectively raising over £3,000 to support Brake’s initiatives aiding road traffic victims and advocating for safer roads.
Moorlock remarked, “These awards are significant not only for recognising success but for establishing benchmarks. This year, we have intensified the entry and judging processes, and we are thrilled to spotlight those who are genuinely leading the charge in road safety.”
Mark Cartwright, head of the commercial vehicle incident prevention team at National Highways, expressed his appreciation for the event, stating, “It has been another fantastic night for our industry, inspiring further action against road crashes. Congratulations to all the deserving winners as well as those nominated.”
The complete list of winners for the 2025 UK Fleet Champions Awards is as follows:
– **Company Driver Safety Award – Small/medium fleet (sponsored by Fleetmaster):**
WINNER: Cappagh Browne Utilities Ltd
WINNER: CLEAN Linen and Workwear
– **Company Driver Safety Award – Large fleet (sponsored by Fleetmaster):**
WINNER: Kelly Group
Highly Commended: Northern Powergrid
– **Public Sector Driver Safety Award (sponsored by TTC Group):**
WINNER: Cumbria Fire and Rescue
Highly Commended: Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue
– **Sustainable Journeys Award (sponsored by Zurich Resilience Solutions):**
WINNER: BUKO Traffic & Safety
– **Dr Will Murray Award for Analysis and Action (sponsored by eDriving):**
WINNER: Fleetmaster
Highly Commended: TMO Traffic Highways
– **Fleet Safety Innovation Award:**
WINNER: Geotab
Highly Commended: Netradyne
Highly Commended: VisionTrack
– **Fleet Safety Partnership Award (sponsored by AXA UK):**
WINNER: SSE and Applied Driving
Highly Commended: Jacobs and Applied Driving
Highly Commended: Cappagh Browne Utilities Ltd and Samsara
Highly Commended: TTC Group and Telent Technology Services
– **Fleet Safety Product Award (sponsored by Motive):**
WINNER: Fleet Service GB
Highly Commended: Fleetmaster
Highly Commended: Geotab
Highly Commended: Lightfoot
– **Road Safety in the Community Award (sponsored by Seeing Machines):**
WINNER: Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue
Highly Commended: Cumbria Fire and Rescue
– **Safe Vehicles Award (sponsored by AIR-Serv):**
WINNER: Grundon Waste Management
Highly Commended: Key Security Group
Highly Commended: NSG
– **Road Risk Manager of the Year Award (sponsored by QBE):**
WINNER: Matthew Mort, Arriva Merseyside / Arriva North West Limited
Highly Commended: Jen Yaxley, Jacobs
Highly Commended: Toni Robinson, Grundon Waste Management
Highly Commended: Lawrence Setchell, Prestige Pipelaying JV Ltd
– **Kevin Storey Award for Outstanding Commitment to Road Safety (sponsored by Fleet Service GB):**
WINNER: Tony Crook, Lancashire County Council
For further details about the awards, please visit Brake’s official website.
Congratulations to all the winners and everyone involved in the awards. Recognising and sharing good practice is essential if we are to reverse the recent stall in progress on road safety. Well done to Tony Crook on a remarkable contribution and to Brake for keeping road safety high on the agenda and supporting practical improvements across the fleet sector.
Congratulations to all the winners and everyone involved. Recognising and celebrating commitment to road safety motivates continued improvement across the sector. Tony Crook’s long service is well deserved and a reminder of the impact individuals can make. The funds raised for Brake are welcome and reinforce the importance of partnership between industry and charity. With road safety progress stalling, now is the time for fleet operators to accelerate practical measures such as better driver training, effective vehicle maintenance regimes, data driven risk management and strong leadership engagement to reduce harm on our roads.
Congratulations to all the winners and to everyone involved in the awards. Recognising and sharing good practice is essential if we want to move past the current stagnation in road safety. The diversity of organisations honoured shows that improvements can come from across the sector and that leadership at all levels matters. Special recognition for long term commitment like Tony Crook’s is important because sustained effort drives culture change. The funds raised for Brake are a practical reminder that advocacy and education need ongoing support. Now the challenge is to translate examples of success into wider, measurable action that reduces casualties on our roads.
Congratulations to all the winners and to Brake for shining a spotlight on the vital work being done to make our roads safer. Recognising organisations and individuals like Tony Crook helps drive continued commitment and innovation across the sector. The funds raised and the industry engagement at the event are important reminders that road safety improvements rely on collective action, strong leadership and consistent investment in safer vehicles, better training and evidence led policy. Continued focus is needed to reverse the recent lack of progress and ensure meaningful reductions in casualties.