Road fatalities in Great Britain reached their lowest level on record last year, excluding the pandemic-affected period, according to newly released government data.
The Department for Transport (DfT) reported that 1,624 people were killed in road accidents in 2023, marking a 5% decrease compared to 2022. Publishing their final statistics on road collisions and casualties for 2023, the figures also found there were five road fatalities per billion vehicle miles travelled, a 7% drop from the previous year.
According to the numbers, 29,711 people were killed or seriously injured (KSI), showing only a slight change from 2022. Meanwhile, there were 132,977 casualties of all severities, representing a 2% decline.
Officials from the government department noted that overall casualties are steadily declining, following a pattern seen before the COVID-19 pandemic. However, they pointed out that the number of killed or seriously injured casualties has been falling at a slower rate, particularly since 2017.
On an international scale, Great Britain placed third out of 33 countries for the lowest number of road fatalities per million people. In comparison, Northern Ireland came 13th in the same ranking for 2023.
Rod Dennis, road safety spokesperson for the RAC, said: “Thankfully, this latest data shows overall casualty and fatality levels are down compared to 12 months earlier, and significantly down on a decade ago – despite a return to the number of miles being driven pre-pandemic.
“But behind the headline figures, there are some important points to note, such as the fact that men are far more likely to be killed or injured on our roads than women and that pedestrian fatalities and those involving young people appear to be rising.
“Britain might have an enviable international reputation when it comes to road safety, but this latest data still shows there’s room for improvement. We hope the new government’s forthcoming road safety strategy will help to reduce fatality and casualty numbers further.”
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