National Road Victim Month 2025: the latest statistics on UK road safety
National Road Victim Month takes place in August each year. The awareness day, founded by RoadPeace, was introduced to raise awareness of the number of injuries and fatalities on UK roads, to support road crash victims and their families, and to honour the emergency services.
Our personal injury solicitors are all too aware of the profound impact road traffic accidents can have, which is why we are passionate supporters of RoadPeace and their yearly National Road Victim campaign.
In this blog, personal injury Partner, Samantha Castle, looks at the latest road safety statistics and whether they are improving.
Is road safety improving in the UK?
When you think of road casualties, accidents relating to cars might be the first thing that comes to mind; however, e-scooter, cyclist, motorcycle and pedestrian collisions are also common.
In 2024, an estimated 1,633 fatalities were reported in Great Britain, an increase of 1% compared to 2023. 43% of fatalities were car occupants, 25% were pedestrians, 21% were motorcyclists, and 5% were pedal cyclists.
Take a look at the figures below.
Accidents involving e-scooters
Unfortunately, the Department for Transport has not published figures for 2024, but we can see in their 2023 factsheet that e-scooter casualties reduced by over 7% in 2023 compared to the year before. There were 1,387 casualties in collisions involving e-scooters in 2023, compared to 1,502 in 2022. There was also a 6% reduction in serious injuries, and the number of e-scooter fatalities halved.
Whilst the statistics are reporting a reduction in casualties as a result of e-scooter collisions, which is positive, this is not what we are seeing in our Personal Injury team, where people are approaching us due to injuries and financial losses as a result of e-scooter accidents.
The majority of those injured or killed in e-scooter accidents in 2023 were male, especially young people aged between 10 – 19 and then 20 – 29. We also saw a peak in collisions around commuter and school start/end times: 8am and 4 – 5 pm.
Why are e-scooter accidents reducing?
It is hoped that e-scooter accidents are becoming less common due to improved infrastructure, including bike lanes dedicated to bicycles and e-scooters, which separate them from pedestrian areas and improve traffic flow.
Blog | The law on e-scooters: where are we now?
Cycling accidents
2023 Department for Transport figures show a decrease in fatalities and injuries in cycling accidents, with fatalities decreasing by 4% to 87, serious injuries decreasing to 3,942 from 4,045 in 2022 and slight injuries down by 587.
Between 2019 and 2023, 82% of pedal cycle killed or seriously injured casualties were male, and 58% of pedal cycle fatalities occurred on rural roads compared to 31% of traffic.
What is being done to improve road safety for cyclists?
Earlier this year, Bristol City Council proposed a trial painting bike lanes red to reduce conflict between pedestrians and cyclists. A recent University of Bristol study found that e-scooters reduce the risk of bicycle collisions by 20%, looking at police data on UK road collisions between 2015 and 2023.
What are the most common types of cycling accidents?
- Collision with cars
- Dooring accidents
- Poor road conditions, such as potholes
- Failure to give way at junctions
Motorbike accidents and injuries
315 motorcyclists were killed in Great Britian in 2023 compared to 350 in 2022. Overall casualty numbers have decreased each year from 2014 to 2020 but have recently seen an increase between 2020 and 2023 with 13 times more male than female motorcycle casualties overall.
Why are motorcycle accidents increasing?
Data from the Department for Transport’s motorcyclist factsheet 2023 suggests that the most common contributory factors to motorcycle accidents occur due to a failure to looking properly and an ill judgement of other vehicles’ speed.
Pedestrian accidents
Unfortunately, there has been an increase in fatal and serious injuries relating to pedestrians in the last two years, although, there has been a decrease in ‘slight injuries’ which you can see in the Department for Transport’s 2023 Pedestrian factsheet
Pedestrians failing to look properly and those in a hurry accounted for the highest contributory factor for pedestrian accidents between 2019 and 2023. Despite changes to the Highway Code to give them greater priority.
Blog | Top tips for reducing accidents involving pedestrians
How to stay safe on the road
Since records began in 1926, over 500,000 people have been killed on UK roads. Five people are killed and around 80 people are seriously injured on average each day on UK roads. Below are some tips from THINK! about how road users can keep themselves and other safe.
Cyclists:
- Stay clear of the kerb
- Wear high-visibility clothing
- Wear a helmet
- Use lights when visibility is poor
- Signal to other road users when turning
Blog | 5 ways motorists can reduce cycling collisions
Drivers:
- Wear a seat belt
- Never use your phone whilst driving
- Remain a good distance from the vehicle in front
- Give cyclists, motorcyclists and horse riders plenty of room when overtaking
- Look for cyclists and pedestrians when opening your vehicle door to avoid a dooring accident
Motorcyclists:
- Bikers must wear a helmet, protective jacket, gloves, boots and trousers to protect them if they fall off
- Wear bright fluorescent gear during the day and reflective gear at night
- Look over your shoulder when carrying out manoeuvres
Can I claim for an accident on the road?
Regardless of whether you are a pedestrian, cyclist, driver or passenger in a car or on a motorcycle, if you’ve been injured in an accident that wasn’t your fault, you may be able to make a personal injury claim.
Compensation can help fund future care costs and cover any loss of earnings incurred because of your accident. You can still claim even if the driver was uninsured.
Our personal injury solicitors offer a no win, no fee consultation to talk through what happened, to go over your options and to discuss how to fund your claim.
Contact our personal injury solicitors
If you’ve been injured in a road traffic accident, our personal injury lawyers might be able to help you claim compensation.
For a free, no-obligation chat with our team, call 0117 325 2929 or fill out our online enquiry form.
