The 2024 government statistics on road casualty figures are now available. It is a sad fact that deaths on the road are an everyday occurrence. Whilst there is a small decrease in the number of overall incidents compared to the previous year, the numbers are still alarming.
Injuries or death as a result of road collisions in Great Britain in 2024 are estimated as follows:
- 1,602 fatalities
- 29,467 killed or seriously injured casualties
- 128,272 casualties of all severities
It should be noted that these figures are based on reported incidents only, which relies on the incident being both reported to the Police, and properly recorded, therefore the actual figures are undoubtedly higher. The Department for Transport acknowledges that, in previous years, issues with data collection for some police forces have meant that the reliability and accuracy of the recorded road collisions in some regions cannot be guaranteed, as some collisions may have been mis-recorded or not recorded at all.
Who is most likely to be injured in a collision?
- Car occupants account for casualties accounted for 43% of road fatalities and 55% of all road casualties in 2024.
- Vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, pedal cyclists, motorcyclists and e-scooter users are more likely to be killed or injured when hit by a vehicle.
- A person is more likely to be injured on the road when travelling by motorcycle.
- Roads in urban areas account for a much higher proportion of road casualties (62%)
Fatalities and rates by type of road user:
- 43% of fatalities were car occupants
- 26% were pedestrians
- 21% were motorcyclists
- 5% were pedal cyclists
The number of collisions involving e-scooters is shown to be increasing. The data shows that there were 6 people killed in collisions involving e-scooters in 2024. 5 of those were e-scooter riders, and one a pedestrian.
Road safety factors contributing to fatalities.
The available data shows that the top three contributing factors to road fatalities are speed, behaviour or inexperience, and distraction or impairment. This would indicate that the majority of fatal accidents are caused by negligent or dangerous driving. The data also indicates that a quarter of fatalities were not wearing a seatbelt, with these statistics being higher for male car occupants, and occupants travelling in the evening and night.
Age and sex
The 2024 statistics also provide a breakdown of the victims by age and sex, showing that 64 children were killed on our roads during this period.
- 76% of fatalities and 61% of casualties of all severities were male
- 4% of fatalities and 11% of casualties were aged 16 years old and under
- 22% of fatalities and 28% of casualties were aged 17 to 29 years old
- 22% of fatalities and 8% of casualties were aged 70 years old and over
The statistics clearly show that more needs to be done to protect road users from serious injury and death. The increase in e-scooters alone requires urgent regulation, as the current situation will only serve to increase the number of casualties.
If you or someone you know has been injured in a road collision, our highly specialised personal injury team can help. To speak to one of our specialists please call us on 0161 696 6235 or fill in our online enquiry form.
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