Road Safety Resources

At IAM RoadSmart, we aim to inform members of the motoring and riding community, fleet managers and external organisations about the importance of road safety.  We do this by producing different resources that inform and educate on the latest policy changes.

We also offer tips, advice, and general guidance to support making the roads a safer place. On this page, you will find a variety of resources explaining different areas of road safety. This includes The Highway Code, alongside tips to help you improve your driving and riding.

The below statistics are from the Department For Transport's annual report surrounding road traffic accidents and casualties. This report was released in September 2023 for the 2022 period. We update this page on an annual basis as new reports come in.

1. Road Safety Statistics

Sadly post-COVID road death and injury levels are slowly returning to what the government has described as “normality” – this suggests that the flatlining in road deaths since 2013 and the increases in 2022 are in some way acceptable – certainly not in IAM RoadSmart’s view!

On a slightly more positive note, pedestrian fatalities fell by 18% in 2022 compared to 2019 and in international comparisons, Great Britain ranked 5 out of 38 countries for the lowest number of road fatalities per million population.

Road collisions cost the British economy just over £43 Billion in 2022. The roads are getting busier again, and more incidents are happening each year, so keeping our roads safe is more important than ever. But, just how much have our roads changed in the past year? Check out our summary of the latest official road safety statistics below:

 

 

Overall statistics

In Great Britain in 2022 there were 1,711 fatalities, a 10% increase on 2021 but a decline of 2% compared to 2019. 29,742 killed or seriously injured (KSI) casualties, an increase of 10% compared to 2021 but a decline of 3% compared to 2019. 135,480 casualties of all severities, an increase of 6% on the previous year but a decline of 12% compared to 2019.

Overall statistics

Killed KSI KSIA All
1,771 29,742 28,031 135,480

Source: https://roadtraffic.dft.gov.uk/custom-downloads/road-accidents/reports/3836e3aa-fa64-4a7e-9164-46b89b4d65c0

Overall Stats

Vehicle miles driven

328 billion vehicle miles were travelled in 2022 (up from 297.6 billion vehicle miles in 2021 but still down 4% from 2019), so we are almost seeing a return to travel levels last seen before the COVID-19 pandemic. There were 5 road fatalities per billion vehicle miles travelled in 2022, up 2% compared to 2019.

Vehicle miles driven (BVM)

Cars/Taxi LCV HGV Pedal Buses/Coach Motorcycles
24457.517.43.92.12.8

Source: https://roadtraffic.dft.gov.uk/summary

Vehicle Miles (1)

Casualties by gender

Male fatalities remain similar to those seen in 2019 whilst female fatalities have declined slightly. 76% of fatalities and 62% of casualties of all severities were male. In 2022, 1,292 males died on the roads compared to 419 females.

Casualties by gender

 Killed KSI KSIA All
Male

1,292

18,7838,34882,746
Female 4198,7078,99851,641
Unknown  41441,093

Source: https://roadtraffic.dft.gov.uk/custom-downloads/road-accidents/reports/20f64bfa-ac5f-469b-94ae-d260459472cc

Gender

Casualties by age

In 2022, the age group with the most male fatalities was 30 to 49-year-olds with 375 fatalities, which was little changed compared to 2019. For females, the age group with the most fatalities in 2022 was 70-year-olds and over with 153 fatalities, a decline of 17% compared to 2019.

In 2022, the age group with the most male casualties was 30 to 49-year-olds with 27,486 casualties. For females, the 30 to 49 year old age group also had the most casualties in 2022 with 16,276 casualties.

Casualties by age

 <16 16 17-20 21-24 25-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70+
Killed 498157128136263200196182392
KSI 2,2473512,7222,2452,5614,5543,3203,6432,5742,885
KSIA 2,4503822,9632,4242,7594,8983,5823,9342,7783,112
All 11,8211,53712,53411,76414,46525,46418,51616,7459,7609,745

Source: https://roadtraffic.dft.gov.uk/custom-downloads/road-accidents/reports/3221ab20-3cb1-4562-8efb-be9f26a7ab15

Age

Casualties by road type

In 2022, the majority of road fatalities occurred on rural roads, whereas the majority of all casualties occurred on urban roads. Although motorways account for 21% of road traffic, they account for a much smaller proportion of road fatalities (6%) and casualties (4%).

By contrast, rural road fatalities (59%) are overrepresented compared to the proportion of rural road traffic (44%). Similarly, urban roads account for a much higher proportion of road casualties (63%) than their relative traffic level (35%).

In 2022, the highest fatality rate was on rural roads with 7 people killed per billion miles travelled. This compares to 1 per billon miles travelled on motorways and 5 on urban roads.

Casualties by road type

 A B C U Motorway A(M)
Killed 9062495540192 8
KSI 12,4793,8149659,39878491
KSIA 13,4024,1661,11610,17284096
All 61,43216,8565,62546,2584,851458

Source: https://roadtraffic.dft.gov.uk/custom-downloads/road-accidents/reports/242555a6-e481-4e6a-bf03-ff8e997a5ae4

Road Type

Casualties by speed limit

Most deaths occurred on roads with 60 and 30 mph speed limits in 2022 – 544 and 532 respectively – accounting for 63% of fatalities. 20mph limits were the location for 68 deaths, up from 53 deaths in 2021, a 28% increase.

50mph roads, saw 161 fatalities (up from 115) fatalities and there were 69,737 total casualties in 30mph limits (also up from 67,715).

Casualties by speed limit

 1-20 mph21-30 mph31-40 mph41-50 mph51-60 mph61-70 mphMotorway
Killed 68532170161544136100
KSI 3,14813,3312,5761,5265,166909875
KSIA 3,26014,4222,7851,6605,685994936
All 18,45369,72712,4496,44018,5354,5675,309

Source: https://roadtraffic.dft.gov.uk/custom-downloads/road-accidents/reports/8a9c85f9-5658-4d3a-824f-ebf8bfa1272a

Speed Limits

Seat belt fatalities

A fifth of all car occupants killed in 2022 were not wearing a seatbelt. 26% of men and 10% of females were not wearing a seatbelt. 17-29-year-olds remain the worst offenders with 30% of fatalities not wearing a seatbelt (although this is a 10% reduction from 2021). You are most likely to die in a crash between 6pm and 8am if you are not wearing a seatbelt (42%).

Seat belt fatalities

Male Female
27% 10%

 

0-16 17-29 30-59 60+
15% 30% 29% 9%

 

Daytime (8am to 6pm) Night-time (6pm to 8am)
11% 42%

Source: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk

Seatbelts

Fatalities by location

Fatality rates are broadly similar across the UK although slightly higher in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and Humber. England saw an 8% increase in deaths on the road in 2022 compared to the previous year. 1443 people were killed and there were over 125,000 total casualties (6% increase).

In Scotland, there was a large increase in number killed on the road with 173 fatalities (up from 143 in 2021) marking a 21% increase. There were 5611 total casualties in 2022 up by 10%.

Wales saw a 10% increase in fatalities up from 86 to 95 in 2022.

Looking at England, the Southeast had the most road deaths with 249, followed by the East of England with 206. However, London saw the greatest number of overall casualties with 27,259. The Northeast had the lowest number of fatalities with 54, and 4160 total casualties; 84% less than London. View the full breakdown by region below:

Fatalities by location

 Killed KSI KSIA All
England 1,329 24,57026,461125,424
Scotland 1731,9451,9455,611
Wales 951,016 1,3364,445

 

 Killed KSI KSIA All
East Midlands 1752,1722,6879,948
East of England 2062,8292,82913,764
London 103

3,967

3,96727,259
Northeast 549429974,160
Northwest 1733,0293,33613,352
Southeast 2494,4094,97022,110
Southwest 1572,1392,49411,704
West Midlands 1632,0262,02610,677
Yorkshire and the Humber 1633,0573,15312,450

Source: https://roadtraffic.dft.gov.uk/custom-downloads/road-accidents/reports/90d7907e-b312-42b6-aee1-6c01fc51358c

GB

Northern Ireland – Last updated: June 2024

Police Service for Northern Ireland data shows:

Calendar year 2024 so far:

As of June 2024, there have been 26 fatalities on Northern Ireland’s roads.

Regions: In 2023, Newry, Mourne and Down district had the highest number of road deaths with 11 fatalities. Belfast City district recorded the most serious injuries in 2023 (127 people).

Data shows the biggest principal causation factors for KSI casualties were ‘inattention or attention diverted’ and ‘impairment by drugs or alcohol - driver/rider’

Drivers and pedestrians represent around three-fifths of all KSI (Killed or Seriously Injured) casualties (59%)

Map of Northern Ireland

Breakdown of road casualties - Northern Ireland 2023

Breakdown of road casualties in Northern Ireland 2023
In 2023, there were 5,058 injury road traffic collisions recorded.

This resulted in: Total casualties of 7985, 71 fatalities, 880 people seriously injured and 7,034 slightly injured.

Breakdown comparison - Northern Ireland 2022 and 2023

Breakdown Comparison - Road casualties - Northern Ireland 2022 and 2023

Compared to 2022, overall casualties in 2023 increased by 1.8% to 7985.

The amount of KSI (Killed or Seriously Injured) casualties dropped by 1.5% to 951, however they remain higher than the totals seen prior to Covid-19 in 2020.

Long-term fatalities on NI’s roads by year

Graph of fatalities on NI roads by year
The all-time high annual figure of fatalities was in 1972 when 372 people were killed on Northern Ireland’s roads.

Top priorities for motorists in Northern Ireland – IAM RoadSmart Road Safety culture report shows:

The top three issues among Northern Ireland’s motorists are the ‘cost of motoring’, followed by ‘potholes’ and roadworks/road closures


Contributory Factors in UK

Similar to previous years, in 2022, the top 3 contributory factors assigned to fatal road collisions in Great Britain were:

1. Loss of control (24%)

2. Driver or rider failed to look properly (22%)

3. Driver or rider careless, reckless, or in a hurry (22%)

Exceeding the speed limit was a factor in 19% of fatal collisions.

Contributory Factors

2. Downloadable Posters

Encouraging road safety is at the heart of everything we do at IAM RoadSmart.

That’s why we have created a series of posters to raise awareness of common road safety encounters you might have on the roads. These posters are designed for anybody who wants to learn more about road safety, or if you manage a team who are always out on the roads, these make a perfect resource to help them remain as safe as they can be. Click below to download.

The Hierarchy of Road Users

 

Pedestrian Priority

 

Cyclists and Roundabouts

 

The 'Dutch Reach'

 

Sharing with Cyclists

Powdery Check - Bike

Sitting Comfortably

Powdery Check - Car

Driving in Towns

Motorway Driving

 

3. Video Tips and Guidance

One way of limiting your risk of an on-road incident is understanding how to proactively handle different situations. Even the smallest of tweaks to your driving or riding can help you to keep yourself and others as safe as possible. The videos below showcase a whole variety of different situations you may encounter on the roads, alongside some top tips to help you improve.

Check them out and if you feel they would be beneficial to someone you know, why not forward them on? 

Understanding the Hierarchy of Road Users

 

Observation, Anticipation and Planning

 

How To Effectively Manage Distractions

 

Breaking the Cycle of Conflict

 

Understanding Stopping Distance

 

 

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