There were 1,793 reported road deaths in Great Britain (GB) in 2017, an increase of one from 2016 and the highest total since 2011, according to the latest figures published by the UK’s Department for Transport (DfT).
Per day, there were an average of five fatalities and 468 casualties of all severities. The total number of casualties for the year was 170,993.
Commenting on the lack of progress on road safety improvement in GB, Joshua Harris, director of campaigns for Brake, said: “Our most vulnerable road users, pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, remain at dangerously high risk on our roads, paying the price for the dominance of the motor car in our lives. Pedestrian deaths increased to their highest level this decade whilst motorcyclists now account for nearly a fifth of all road deaths, despite their small numbers. The Government must invest in active travel to give people safe and healthy ways to get around and focus on improving the safety of our roads – starting with lower speed limits.”
Motorcyclists now make up 19 percent of all road deaths in Britain, up nine percent on 2016 to 349 deaths. Pedestrian fatalities increased by five percent to 470.
A total of 24,831 people were seriously injured last year, an increase of three percent (from 24,101 in 2016), which has been attributed by the Government, at least in part, to changes in the way many police forces now report collision data.
“Our laws are only as strong as their enforcement and roads policing is fundamental to improving UK road safety,” said Harris. “Shockingly, the number of traffic officers fell 24 percent from 2012-2017 and the stagnation in road safety performance shadows this trend. We urge the Government to make roads policing a national investment priority, with a visible police presence catching and deterring illegal driving and cameras preventing the scourge of speeding.”
DfT: Reported road casualties in Great Britain, 2017 annual report
