Latest road casualty statistics show that road casualties showed signs of a return to pre-pandemic trend last year, increasing compared to 2020 and 2021 when casualty numbers were low, largely as a result of periods of lockdown leading to a reduction in road traffic.
In reported road collisions in Great Britain in 2022, the final estimates are: 1,711 fatalities, a decline of 2% compared to 2019, 29,742 killed or seriously injured (KSI) casualties, a decline of 3% compared to 2019 and 135,480 casualties of all severities, a decline of 12% compared to 2019.
The Department for Transport says that, considering road collision rates per billion miles travelled, the final estimates show 328 billion vehicle miles travelled in 2022, a return to travel levels seen in 2019 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, with five road fatalities per billion vehicle miles travelled in 2022, up 2% compared to 2019
The final estimates also show the road user type with the biggest estimated percentage change for 2022 compared to 2019 for fatalities was pedestrians, which showed a decline of 18% in 2022, with 76% of fatalities and 62% of casualties of all severities were male.
In international comparisons for 2022, Great Britain ranked 5 out of 38 countries with available data for lowest number of road fatalities per million population.
Analysing the figures, RAC road safety spokesperson Rod Dennis said: “Confirmation that last year saw a rise in the number of casualties on our roads – and that men are so much more likely to be involved – is a chilling reminder that there remains so much work to do be done to improve road safety in the UK, even if statistically we have some of the safest roads in Europe. The data shows there were more fatal collisions last year than at any point over the last decade caused by drivers or riders being distracted, impaired (458 lives lost) or breaking the speed limit (303 lives lost).
“It’s time the Government turned the dial up on tackling these issues which, while complex, result in hundreds of people losing their lives every year. We also continue to urge the Government to treat this issue with the upmost seriousness by reintroducing casualty reduction targets which were scrapped in 2010.”
(Picture – RAC)
