Over the past decade, road casualties have generally declined, according to data from the Department for Transport. In 2023, there were 1,624 fatalities, marking a 5% decrease from 2022.
The number of those killed or seriously injured (KSI) on the roads remained relatively stable, with 29,711 reported in 2023. For all severities, there was a 3% decline from the previous year, totaling 132,063 casualties.
The pandemic led to a significant drop in road traffic and casualties. Post-pandemic, while the number of miles driven is returning to 2019 levels, casualties continue to decline. Over the long term, there has been a consistent reduction in road casualties, attributed to improvements in vehicle safety, road infrastructure, and traffic law enforcement.
Nine out of the ten local authorities with the highest collision rates are in London, with Haringey having a rate of 3,056 collisions per billion motor miles. Hackney, Westminster, and Camden also feature in the top ten. In terms of casualties, Lambeth, Argyll and Bute, and Caerphilly have the highest rates per billion miles (20, 17, and 16 respectively). Rural areas in Scotland and Wales, such as the Orkney Islands and Clackmannanshire, have the lowest numbers of collisions.
Regarding road users, the highest number of casualties are among car occupants (71,114), followed by pedestrians (18,929) and motorcyclists (16,715). The biggest percentage change since last year was for motorcyclist fatalities, which decreased by 10%. During the pandemic, casualties decreased across different road user categories, except for ‘other vehicle occupants,’ which includes e-scooters that have grown in popularity in recent years.
To learn more about the situation in your area, use the map below or click here.
About the map
This map was created using our Counties and Unitaries 2021 map template, with data from the Department for Transport. This data was published 26/09/2024 for the year 2023.
This map includes both the number and the rate of collisions and casualties on the UK’s roads. This data excludes any collisions that occur on the Strategic Road Network, roads managed by National Highways in England. Collision and casualty rates are based on the level of traffic on these locally managed roads.