A total of 1,748 people were killed in reported road traffic collisions in Great Britain in 2019, according to the latest Department for Transport (DfT) provisional figures. The figure has broadly flatlined since 2012, when 1,754 people were killed.

The number of people seriously injured in reported road traffic collisions in 2019 was 25,975, but the DfT says this cannot be compared with previous years due to changes in severity reporting.

In 2019, there were 125,592 slightly injured casualties in reported road traffic collisions, according to the provisional statistics.

There was a total of 153,315 casualties of all severities, which is five percent lower than in 2018 and is the lowest level since 1979 when this statistical series with current definitions and detail began. However, the DfT warns that the figure be interpreted with caution because it has long been known that non-fatal (and particularly slight) casualties are underreported to the police, and changes in reporting procedures in some police forces may have affected the number of non-fatal (and particularly slight) casualties reported.

Commenting on the release of the figures, Joshua Harris, Director of Campaigns for Brake, the road safety charity, said: “For nearly a decade now, we have seen an appalling stagnation in the number of deaths on our roads and it’s high-time for the government to take responsibility and act. We need to rid our roads of dangerous drink and drug driving, introduce safe speeds in our towns, cities and rural areas and reinvigorate roads policing, which has been decimated by funding cuts. The Government must commit to a Vision Zero approach and the ambition to eliminate the scourge of death and serious injury from our roads for good.

“The Government’s ambition to get more people cycling and walking is a noble one, but this will only be realised if we have safe roads that people can be confident to travel on. With 76 people being killed or seriously injured on the roads every day, 28 of which are people cycling or walking, we are a long long way from achieving this goal.â€

See full DfT report