1,782 people killed on Britain's roads last year
A total of 1,782 people died on Britain’s roads in 2018 according to provisional figures from the Department for Transport (DfT).
This is 1% less than the 1,793 fatality figure for 2017.
An additional 25,484 people were seriously hurt.
The DfT says: “The evidence points towards Britain being in a period when the fatality numbers are stable and most of the changes relate to random variation.”
The number of road users killed annually has barely changed since 2010, though over the same period road traffic volume has risen by 8%.
Of the fatalities:
- 777 victims were car occupants (44% of the total)
- 454 were pedestrians (25%)
- 354 were motorcyclists (20%)
- 99 were cyclists (6%)
- 98 were ‘other’ (5%)
The casualty rates were:
- motorcyclists 120 fatalities per billion passenger miles travelled
- pedestrians 34 fatalities
- cyclists 30 fatalities
- car occupants 1.8 fatalities
- bus 0.3 fatalities
Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said:
“We are looking at a picture that has barely changed in a decade; one where cars are getting safer for their occupants but all too often vulnerable road users are bearing the brunt of collisions.
“We are pleased to be leading the government-funded road collision investigation project, working with three police forces to see whether systemic failures – to do with road design perhaps or wider social and employment policies – might lie behind some of the more obvious causes of crashes currently recorded by officers at the scene.”
Last week the government launched its Road Safety Statement which, amongst other things, pledged to look at the benefits of introducing graduated licensing for younger newly-qualified drivers and mandatory eye tests at age 70 for drivers.
ENDS
Contacts:
Philip Gomm – Head of External Communications – RAC Foundation
020 7747 3445 | 07711 776448 | [email protected] | 020 7389 0601 (ISDN)
Notes to editors:
The RAC Foundation is a transport policy and research organisation that explores the economic, mobility, safety and environmental issues relating to roads and their users. The Foundation publishes independent and authoritative research with which it promotes informed debate and advocates policy in the interest of the responsible motorist.
The RAC Foundation is a registered charity, number 1002705.
All the Foundation’s work is available on its website:
www.racfoundation.org