The number of reported road casualties in Great Britain has fallen by 4% in the year ending June 2024, according to new provisional data released by the UK Department for Transport (DfT).
The statistics highlight a return to pre-pandemic trends, with 128,920 casualties of all severities recorded during the period.
Fatalities also saw a reduction, with 1,607 people killed on Britain’s roads – a 2% decline compared to the previous year.
While the number of people killed or seriously injured (KSI) remained stable at 29,540, the total number of casualties – which includes those who were slightly injured – showed a notable decrease.
Pedal cyclists experienced the most significant reduction among all road user groups. Fatalities among this group declined by 5% compared to the year ending June 2023, while overall casualties for pedal cyclists fell by 6%.
In contrast, car occupants continued to represent the largest share of casualties, accounting for 55% of the total, followed by pedestrians (15%), motorcyclists (13%) and pedal cyclists (11%).
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The gender disparity in road casualties remained pronounced. Males accounted for 75% of all fatalities and 61% of casualties of all severities.
Age also played a significant role, with those aged 30 to 49 recording the highest number of casualties across both sexes. Notably, fatalities for males in the 30 to 49 age range fell by 8% compared to the previous year.
Road traffic volumes increased by 2% during the year, with an estimated 337 billion vehicle miles travelled.
The number of fatalities per billion vehicle miles declined by 3%, indicating a potential improvement in road safety relative to traffic volumes.
The DfT’s report also revealed emerging insights from its newly published road safety factsheets, which focus on specific user groups and highlight the ‘fatal four’ contributory factors – speeding, drink and drug driving, seatbelt non-compliance and mobile phone use.
Finalised statistics for the whole of 2024 are set to be released in May 2025, followed by the full annual report in September 2025.
