Road accidents and safety statistics (2024)

Latest road casualty statistics

Annual road casualty statistics are published twice each year. Provisional results are published in May for the first release of key statistics, and final detailed statistics are released in September. In-year estimates, providing provisional figures for the first half of the year, are usually published in November.

Estimates of drink-drive collisions and casualties are published separately, now annually in July.

The latest publications are listed below. Previous annual, provisional and drink-drive road casualty statistics are available.

  • Reported road casualties Great Britain, provisional results: 2023

    • Accredited official statistics
  • Reported road casualties Great Britain, annual report: 2022

    • Accredited official statistics
  • Reported road casualties in Great Britain, involving illegal alcohol levels: 2021

    • Accredited official statistics

Explore road safety statistics

In addition to regular publications, we also produce summaries of road safety topics. You can also browse our Frequently Asked Questions.

Interactive road casualty dashboard: visualise casualty data.

  • Road accident and safety statistics: factsheets

    • Guidance
  • Reported road casualties: tables index

    • Statistical data set

Road safety data

Selected road safety data is available in spreadsheet tables and our data download tool. The full datasets can be downloaded as open data.

Road safety data download tool: download bespoke breakdowns of our data.

Road safety datasets: available on data.gov

  • Reported road collisions, vehicles and casualties tables for Great Britain

    • Statistical data set
  • Reported drinking and driving: data tables

    • Statistical data set
  • Provisional in-year statistics on reported road casualties

    • Statistical data set

Other related road safety statistics

International comparisons of road safety data are available from the International Traffic Safety Data and Analysis group (IRTAD)

Surveys of seatbelt and mobile phone use are published occasionally, most recently for 2021.

  • Seatbelt and mobile phone use surveys: 2023

    • Official Statistics
  • Road safety factors initial analysis

    • Official Statistics
  • Contributory factors in fatal collisions: comparing STATS19 with post-investigation recording, 2021 data

    • Official Statistics
  • Developing drug driving statistics

    • Official Statistics
  • Serious e-scooter casualties: comparing police and hospital data

    • Official Statistics
  • Linking police and fire road collision data: an initial feasibility study

    • Official Statistics
  • Linking STATS19 and TARN: an initial feasibility study

    • Official Statistics

About the road safety statistics data and reports

Claims management companies may ‘cold call’ people saying that they have records that you were in an accident. They claim to have got your information from the national road accident database or a governmental body. This is not correct. No government agency or department holds names, addresses or telephone numbers of people who have been in road traffic accidents.

If you have been contacted in such a way, it is most likely to be as a result of cold calling or random number dialling. If you are able to get a contact name and number for the company you can report them to the Claims Management Regulator.

Statistics on road safety in Great Britain are mostly based on personal-injury collisions reported to the police in the STATS19 data collection. Further information on STATS19, including strengths and limitations, can be found in the guidance below.

Most of the statistics published are accredited official statistics. Road casualty statistics were assessed by the UK Statistics Authority and confirmed as accredited official statistics in July 2009 and again in 2013 with a further compliance check in 2019.

  • Road accident and safety statistics: guidance

    • Guidance
  • STATS19 forms and guidance

    • Guidance
  • Road accident and safety statistics: pre-release access

    • Guidance

Published 26 September 2013
Last updated 30 May 2024 +show all updates

  1. 2023 provisional annual statistics and seatbelt and mobile phone use surveys published.

  2. Statistics for year ending June 2023 added.

  3. 2022 reported road casualties Great Britain published

  4. 2021 drink-drive statistics published.

  5. 2022 provisional statistics added.

  6. 2022 mid-year statistics published

  7. 2021 final statistics published

  8. 2020 final drink-drive, 2021 seatbelt and mobile phone survey and linking police and fire data feasibility study publications added.

  9. 2021 provisional annual statistics published.

  10. Illegal alcohol levels provisional estimates for 2020 added.

  11. Provisional estimates for year ending June 2021 added

  12. Annual report 2020 and new factsheet and methodology pages added

  13. Reported road casualties in Great Britain, final estimates involving illegal alcohol levels 2019 added. Collection page amended and updated.

  14. Reported road casualties Great Britain, provisional results 2020 and new guidance pages added to the collection.

  15. Reported road casualties in Great Britain, provisional estimates involving illegal alcohol levels: 2019 added to collection

  16. Reported road casualties in Great Britain, provisional estimates: year ending June 2020 report added to collection.

  17. Reported road casualties Great Britain report for 2019 added to collection.

  18. Final estimates for illegal alcohol levels for the year 2018 added to collection.

  19. Reported road casualties provisional results for 2019 added to the collection.

  20. Drink-drive provisional estimates for the year 2018 release added to the drink-drive estimates section.

  21. Collection page updated for Reported road casualties in Great Britain, provisional estimates year ending June 2019.

  22. Collection updated for 'Reported road casualties Great Britain, annual report: 2018'.

  23. Collection page updated for 'Reported Road Casualties in Great Britain, final estimates involving illegal alcohol levels: 2017'.

  24. Added main results 2018 publication.

  25. New release published about personal injury drink drive accidents for the year 2017.

  26. New release published. Other road safety statistics group list updated to show the latest seatbelt and mobile phone use surveys for 2017.

  27. Collection updated.

  28. Text updated.

  29. New release published.

  30. New reported road casualties reports added.

  31. New release published.

  32. New release published.

  33. New release published.

  34. New releases published.

  35. Content for text and headings updated.

  36. New release published.

  37. New release published.

  38. New releases published.

  39. New release published.

  40. New releases published.

  41. 'Reported road casualties in Great Britain: main results 2014' published.

  42. First published.

Road accidents and safety statistics (2024)

FAQs

Road accidents and safety statistics? ›

One of the most common causes of road traffic accidents is distraction and all road users, no matter their mode of transport, can find themselves distracted on their journey. Distractions include mobile phones, in-car audio systems, children, and so-called backseat drivers.

What is the most frequent factor in causing road accidents? ›

One of the most common causes of road traffic accidents is distraction and all road users, no matter their mode of transport, can find themselves distracted on their journey. Distractions include mobile phones, in-car audio systems, children, and so-called backseat drivers.

What was the biggest contributing factor to road accidents? ›

Driver error contributes to 94 percent of traffic accidents, according to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report.

What population is most at risk for traffic accidents? ›

Who is most likely to get intoauto accidents?
  • Teenagers. Crash Risk is especially high for 16-and-17-year-olds. ...
  • Seniors. Older drivers over age 75 are more likely to die in crashes than middle-age motorists. ...
  • Newly licensed drivers. Young or old, inexperienced drivers have simply logged less time on the roads. ...
  • Males.

What age group has the highest percentage of road accidents? ›

BITRE data from 2021 shows road deaths for drivers aged between 17 and 25 had the highest occurrence in cars between 15 and 19 years old.

What is the cause of 90% of car accidents in the world? ›

In a section of the NHTSA website about vehicle automation, they say: The safety benefits of automated vehicles are paramount. Automated vehicles' potential to save lives and reduce injuries is rooted in one critical and tragic fact: 94% of serious crashes are due to human error.

What is the biggest contributor to car accidents? ›

The Top Causes of Car Accidents on the Road
  • Distracted Driving. Distracted drivers are the top cause of car accidents in the U.S. today.
  • Speeding. ...
  • Drunk Driving. ...
  • Reckless Driving. ...
  • Rain. ...
  • Running Red Lights. ...
  • Running Stop Signs. ...
  • Teenage Drivers.
Jan 9, 2024

What is the single biggest cause of crashes on the road? ›

1. Distracted Driving. At the top of the list, distracted driving is the number one cause of car accidents in the U.S. each year, and though it is a recognized issue, it is becoming increasingly worse.

What causes the greatest number of traffic accidents? ›

Top-Cited Causes of Fatal Car Accidents

For example, according to the most recent accident data in California, the most commonly reported causes of traffic fatalities in the Golden State include: Distracted driving. The most commonly reported cause of all car accidents in the US is distracted driving.

Where do the greatest majority of road accidents occur? ›

Most car accidents happen near the victim's home, including in neighborhoods or on rural roads. Intersection and parking lot crashes are also common. Drivers and passengers should take safety precautions, such as using seatbelts whenever they get in the car, regardless of their destination.

What race is responsible for the most car accidents? ›

Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity. In 2020 AIAN people had the highest fatality rate at 22.79 per 100,000 population in traffic crashes, followed by Black or African American (15.51) and Hispanic or Latino people (11.02).

What age group has the most traffic accidents? ›

Young Drivers Have the Most Accidents

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), drivers aged 16–24 were involved in 22.8% of all accidents in 2021. Drivers aged 25–34 were involved in almost as many accidents—22.6%—and no other age groups were involved in nearly as many crashes.

Who gets into car accidents the most? ›

The straightforward answer to the men vs. women car accidents question is clear: men are more likely to be in crashes than women. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in a recent year there were: 1.63 million male drivers in traffic accidents involving injuries.

Who has the highest risk of crashing? ›

Newly licensed drivers, primarily teenagers, have the highest crash rates, but even drivers well into their twenties have higher crash rates than older drivers. Risk factors for motor vehicle crashes that are particularly elevated among teenage drivers include: Inexperience.

Who causes the majority of accidents? ›

Who Causes More Accidents? The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that men cause an average of 6.1 million accidents per year in the US, and women cause 4.4 million accidents per year. Males do 62% of the driving, but only cause 58% of the accidents.

What age group is most at risk when driving? ›

The risk of motor vehicle crashes is higher among teens ages 16–19 than among any other age group. Certain behaviors, like not wearing a seat belt, can increase risk. Teen drivers are more at risk when driving at night or on weekends.

What is the most common cause of most accidents? ›

Aggressive driving is one of the most common causes of car accidents. Reckless driving, road rage, and tailgating are some of the most common aggressive driving behaviors.

What is the most common cause for traffic crashes? ›

Common Causes of Car Accidents Due to Driver Error
  • Distracted Driving. One of the top causes of car accidents can be blamed on distracted driving. ...
  • Drunk Driving. Drunk driving is responsible for an average of 32 deaths per day. ...
  • Speeding. ...
  • Running Red Lights and Stop Signs. ...
  • Reckless Driving. ...
  • Aggressive Driving. ...
  • Fatigue.

What is the most common factor for crashes? ›

Distracted driving is the most commonly reported cause of all vehicle accidents in the country each year. Distracted driving takes many forms and includes any activities that take the driver's eyes, hands, and attention away from operating their vehicle safely. Reckless driving.

What is the greatest factor in traffic accidents? ›

SPEEDING. Everybody seems to be in a hurry, but driving too fast for conditions or in excess of posted speed limits clearly contributes to auto accidents and accident fatalities. According to the NHTSA, the top reason for traffic accidents and fatalities were driving too fast for the road conditions.

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