Are UK roads safer than ever?

The number of men and women killed on UK roads has been in steady decline for the ideal part of a decade, and the trend continued all through 2013 when the number of road deaths reached its lowest level because record started in 1926.

The most recent figures released by the Department for Transport show that, even though visitors levels remained roughly the very same amongst 2012 and 2013, the quantity of road fatalities dropped by 2% – and there was a 6% reduce in the number of individuals seriously injured on the roads.

Fatality prices

The stats show that there have been 1,713 individuals killed on UK roads last year, an typical of 4 people each day.

Whilst this sounds like a lot (and 1 is too many, of course), it is worth taking into consideration that just 8 years ago twice as many people were killed on UK roads on a day-to-day basis.

Overall, a total of 138,660 private injury road accidents of all severities have been reported to the police last year – the fewest reported accidents in a single year apart from 1926 and 1927, the 1st 2 years national records have been kept (when, naturally, there were far fewer vehicles on the road).

Here’s how 2013’s road casualties break down by road user…

*‘Other’ consists mainly of goods cars and bus and coach occupants. Percentages do not add up to 25% as a outcome of rounding.

Casualty breakdown

As in preceding years, automobile occupants made up the largest casualty group in 2013 – which makes sense as there are a lot more car occupants on the roads than any other sort of road user. Of the 1,713 men and women killed in road accidents, 785 (46%) were individuals in cars.

Nonetheless, as with all road casualties, the number of auto occupants killed on the road is also on the decline, down 2% on 2012 and by nearly half (44%) on the 2005-2009 average.

The quantity of vehicle occupants seriously injured fell by 7% in 2013 and there had been 8% fewer reported road casualties compared with 2012.

398 pedestrians were killed on UK roads last year, 5% fewer than in 2012, while the 4,998 pedestrians seriously injured represented a 10% drop on the 2012 figure.

And the number of children killed on the roads also dropped for the very first time 3 years, down 13% on 2012 and reversing a trend which saw an improve in the number of youngster fatalities across 2011 and 2012.

Motorcyclists and cyclists still at most threat

The news for motorcyclists and cyclists, even so, was not really as positive: the number of motorcycle users killed increased by 1% – up from 328 in 2012 to 331 in 2013 – the first improve given that 2006.

And although the number of cyclists killed on the roads dropped by 8% in 2103 – down to 109 from 118 in 2012 – cyclists fatality rates have fluctuated amongst 100 and 120 throughout the final 6 years, so it’s difficult to inform no matter whether this reduce is a one-off.

There was anything for cyclists to be good about, nevertheless, as the number of significant injuries dropped by 2% to 3,143 in 2013, the initial lower considering that 2004.

Are our roads receiving safer?

There are a quantity of causes why the quantity of men and women killed and seriously injured on our roads is in decline, a single of which, unsurprisingly for the UK, is the weather.

As far as rainfall goes, 2012 was the second wettest year on record and was considerably wetter than 2013, especially during the summer season months, which implies there would have been fewer vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists) on the roads during these months.

This indicates there has to be caution when dealing with number of motorcyclists and cyclists killed throughout 2013 as it is most likely there had been far more out on the roads in 2013 than there had been in 2012.

Cash troubles

A slightly more off-the-wall theory is the economic climate, as the 2 periods that have observed the most important fall in road deaths – 1990-94 and 2006-10 – have each coincided with the recessions of 1990-92 and 2008-09.

But it’s a fact that cars are receiving safer. Makers are getting to meet ever far more stringent safety criteria and this, coupled with improvements to the road ne2rk, will assist to reduce the severity and number of casualties when they do occur.

And it could also be the case that we’re all just becoming a nation of more considerate drivers: the proportion of drivers breaking the speed limit has decreased more than the final decade.

This signifies that not only are drivers more likely to keep away from accidents fully, these who are involved in a smash are significantly less probably to be killed or seriously injured as speed is a significant determinant of the severity of a collision.

Are UK roads safer than ever?