What 2025’s collision data tells us about who’s being failed on our roads
In 2025, 401 motorcyclists were killed on Britain’s roads. That’s the highest annual total in the last 10 years and the highest since the Department for Transport’s (DfT) current data series began in 2016. Cyclist casualties, which had been falling steadily for a decade, jumped too, with serious injuries up almost 15% in a single year.
National Road Victim Month exists to prevent these numbers from increasing even further. Behind every figure is a family who lost someone, or a person still living with the physical and financial consequences of a collision that wasn’t their fault. As personal injury lawyers, we see that reality almost daily.
In this blog, we look at what the latest figures show, and what they mean if you or someone you love has been affected.
A record year, and a reversal
The headline national picture from the DfT’s newly published data is mixed. Overall road deaths fell by 4% year on year, but that fall was driven almost entirely by cars and HGVs, both of which have been steadily getting safer thanks to new and enhanced technology.
Sadly, motorcyclists and cyclists tell a different story:
- There were 401 motorcyclist deaths in 2025, up 10% from 2024, and the highest figure in the 10-year series
- Cyclist serious injuries were up nearly 15% year on year, reversing a decline that had held since 2016
What’s actually behind the rise
The DfT also collects data on the road safety factors recorded against each collision; essentially what investigating officers judged went wrong. For both motorcyclists and cyclists, two things stand out:
- Junction and observation errors remain by far the biggest single cause, despite changes to the Highway Code giving cyclists and pedestrians greater protection. ‘Ineffective observation’ and ‘overshot junction or poor turn’ are the two largest categories recorded for both groups, and both grew faster than the overall total in 2025. Junctions, in other words, are still where most serious collisions involving riders and cyclists happen.
- Distraction and impairment-related factors are growing fastest of all; up 44% for motorcyclists and 67% for cyclists year on year. This growth rate is the sharpest of anything in the data, and it’s the one factor most directly within another road user’s control.
Road surfaces as a contributing factor
Driver behaviour isn’t the only factor at work. The DfT data also tracks collisions where a poor or defective road surface and potholes were recorded as a contributing factor. Nationally, these collisions rose 6.8% in 2025, and serious injuries linked to road defects rose 7.4%.
Once again, it’s riders and cyclists who bear the brunt: serious injuries to motorcyclists from road surface defects rose 14% year on year, and to cyclists by nearly 20%, while car occupants saw a fall. Local authorities have a legal duty to maintain the roads they’re responsible for, and a claim against the council can run alongside, or instead of, a claim against another road user. If a pothole or highway defect was a factor in your accident, read our guide on measuring surface defects for a personal injury claim.
The growing risk for cyclists is down to drivers’ behaviour
Cyclists are vulnerable road users, and despite changes to the Highway Code and various awareness campaigns such as THINK!, their safety is at more risk than ever. Looking at the data, the increase in cyclist injuries doesn’t point to them taking more risks; it points to drivers failing to see or account for them.
- ‘Pedestrian or cyclist or equestrian [riders] hard to see’ was recorded 90% more often in 2025 than 2024.
- ‘Driver or rider passing too close to another road user’ was up 54%.
Both factors describe something a driver did, not something a cyclist did wrong.
That distinction matters for anyone making a claim after a cycling accident. Too often, the assumption from insurers, and sometimes from the public, is that a cyclist must have contributed to their own injury. This data clearly shows that the growing risk to cyclists is from how drivers behave around them, not from cyclists themselves.
What to do if you or a loved one has been injured in a bike accident
If you’ve been injured in a collision involving a motorcycle or a bicycle, this data matters practically, not just statistically. These contributing factors shape how personal injury claims are investigated.
When making a personal injury claim for a road accident, it’s worth remembering that:
Evidence is key
If a driver collides with you at a junction or opens their door into your path (‘dooring’), bystander statements and video evidence such as dashcam footage or CCTV will be vital to support your claim. And it’s important to gather this evidence as soon as possible so that your claim can progress.
Fault isn’t always where people assume it lies
Given how much of the recent rise in cyclist casualties is attributable to driver behaviour (including those distracted by their mobile phone or drunk drivers), an early, properly investigated claim can establish liability more clearly than an initial Police report might suggest.
Medical and financial recovery are separate from liability
You don’t necessarily need to wait for your claim to be settled before getting advice on rehabilitation, lost income, or ongoing care needs. Our solicitors may be able to seek an interim payment of damages to fund rehabilitation, for example. We work closely with specialist charities and experts, such as case managers, to help with this.
Read more about what happens in a personal injury claim.
Don’t forget the time limit
Most personal injury claims must be brought within three years, including ‘every day’ accidents such as RTAs. But that three-year clock doesn’t always start when you might expect. Read more about time limits for personal injury claims.
How we can help
Our personal injury lawyers help people across the UK who have been seriously injured, or who have lost a family member in a road collision.
Contact us for a no-obligation initial chat. Call our Personal Injury team on 0117 325 2929 or fill out our online enquiry form.
