Road casualties in Great Britain fall slightly in 2024

The number of people who were killed or injured on roads across Great Britain has continued its long-term decline in 2024, according to new data released by the Department for Transport (DfT).

Figures show that modest year-over-year improvements in several key road safety metrics have also remained relatively constant – something that has been a common trend since data was measured in 1979.

Although progress has slowed in recent years, the DfT have claimed that road safety campaigns have continued to yield results – even as traffic volumes have returned to pre-pandemic levels.

In 2024, a total of 1,602 people were killed in reported road collisions – a 1% decrease from the previous 12 months.

The total number of people killed or seriously injured (KSI) also declined by around 1% to 29,467.

Casualties of all severities hit 128,272 – a more substantial drop of 4%.

DfT data showed that there were 4.7 road deaths per billion road miles travelled in 2024. This is a 3% reduction compared to the previous year.

When comparing to statistics from other nations around the world, Great Britian remains one of the lowest casualty nations when it comes to road-based statistics.

Based on data of 36 nations, Great Britian ranked fourth lowest for road deaths.

RAC road safety spokesperson Rod Dennis said: “While the latest data shows road casualties came down very slightly last year, this masks a harsh truth that can’t be ignored - that, on average four people are killed, and a further 76 seriously injured, every single day in Great Britain. And behind these figures is a reality that too many ​families have to face: coming to terms with lives ruined or cut short.

“Britain might still have an enviable safety record compared to some other countries, but the simple fact is that casualties aren’t falling at a fast enough rate anymore.

“Casualty reduction targets would be one way of giving the whole topic of road safety national focus, as would fresh interventions that could help remove the riskiest drivers from our roads - for instance, introducing alcohol interlocks to stop drink-drivers from reoffending, and steps taken to reduce instances of excessive speeding.

“The Government has long trailed its forthcoming road safety strategy, so we look forward to seeing how this can bring casualty numbers down further."