Appendix 1 of the latest – 10-year anniversary edition “How to become an Emergency Response Driver” provides information that was current at the time of its publication – December 2026.
It is 20 years since the relevant Act was passed by parliament. Any updates are published on this website.
- Government consultation work in the past
- The UK Department for Transport previously published a consultation on speed limit exemptions, which proposed how Section 19 might be brought into effect and what the regulations could look like, including the introduction of mandatory high-speed training courses and new exemption categories.
- No draft statutory instrument published yet
- As of the most recent governmental statements, no draft statutory instrument (regulations) has been formally published or laid before Parliament to implement Section 19. There’s no entry on legislation.gov.uk indicating commencement or draft regulations currently in force or pending.
- Government acknowledges drafting work is ongoing
- In April 2024, the Department for Transport said it was “currently considering how best to take forward implementation” of Section 19, including the necessary secondary legislation.
- In June 2025, a follow-up written answer confirmed that officials were continuing to work on “complex draft regulations” required to commence Section 19, and that once complete, the Government would consider enabling the Section — particularly regarding mandated emergency driving training.
- What Section 19 would do (in regulatory terms)
Once implemented (through secondary legislation), Section 19 would allow the Secretary of State to make regulations about:
- Exemptions from speed limits for specified vehicle purposes in certain circumstances:
Mandatory requirements for training courses in high-speed driving before exemptions can be claimed;
Approval and oversight of training providers, evidencing of course completion, and related matters.
- Timeline & Expectations
- There is no confirmed timetable for when the draft regulations will be published or laid before Parliament.
- Parliamentary correspondence suggests development remains ongoing, but progress has been slow and no government statement has provided a specific legislative timetable.
Here’s the latest on the review of emergency exemptions (including speed limit exemptions) under the Road Safety Act 2006 and the proposed implementation of Section 19:
- Government activity and status
No formal draft regulations yet published
As of early 2026, the Department for Transport (DfT) has not yet published draft statutory instruments specifically implementing Section 19 — including emergency speed limit exemptions or high-speed driver training regulations. There’s no sign on legislation.gov.uk of any draft regulations laid before Parliament that would revise or replace the current exemptions regime.
- Government has acknowledged ongoing development
In parliamentary written answers, ministers have confirmed that the government intends to introduce secondary legislation needed to:
- Commence Section 19;
- Create a mandatory minimum level of driver training before certain exemptions (such as exceeding speed limits) can be claimed;
- Enable the inclusion of new narrowly defined emergency exemption purposes via regulations rather than primary legislation.
This indicates that work on a draft of the associated regulations (e.g. “Speed Limit Exemptions Regulations” and “High Speed Driver Training Regulations”) is underway within DfT, but they have not yet reached the stage of a public draft or parliamentary laying.
- Older consultation & impact assessment remain the basis of policy development
The last substantive public consultation on extending speed limit exemptions and possibly bringing Section 19 into force dates from 2012–2013, when stakeholders were invited to comment on proposals to extend exemptions beyond police, fire, ambulance and SOCA and to set training requirements before exemptions could be claimed.
Since then, policy intent has remained broadly consistent — allowing additional emergency or life-critical vehicle purposes to claim exemptions only after prescribed training — but with long delays in producing the actual regulations.
- What this means in practice right now
- Current legal exposure for emergency drivers still depends on existing exemptions in the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (Section 87), because Section 19 has not yet been commenced.
- Organisations such as ambulance trusts are still managing driver training and use of exemptions internally and may follow voluntary standards anticipating future Section 19 requirements.
- The government recognises the issues with current law (including the need for training standards and clarity on exemptions) and intends to legislate; but no formal review outcome or draft is yet published for consultation or parliamentary scrutiny.
- Ongoing environment
While Section 19 implementation remains pending, the government’s 2026 Road Safety Strategy has been published, which sets out a wider programme of policy reviews and consultations aimed at reducing casualties — though it does not itself include formal secondary legislation on emergency exemptions.
28 February 2026
