Road accident casualties in Britain and the world

In 2016 there were 181,384 accident casualties recorded on Britain’s roads; 1,792 of these were fatal. The long-term trend in the numbers killed and injured from road accidents has been declining, especially in the last two decades.

In 2016 46% of those fatal road accident victims were car occupants; 25% were pedestrians; 25% motorcyclists; and 6% were cyclists

 In Great Britain, the overall number of fatalities and road casualties has been in long term decline since the mid-1960s, and especially since the mid-1990s. Measures to address drink driving and improve safety of vehicles and roads have all contributed to this decline which has occurred while road traffic has been increasing.

According to the World Health Organisation, more than 1.25 million people die each year as a result of road traffic crashes. Injuries from road traffic accidents are the leading cause of death among people aged between 15 and 29 years of age.

Between 20 and 50 million more people suffer non-fatal injuries.

More than 90% of road traffic deaths occur in low and middle-income countries. Road traffic injury death rates are highest in the African region.

The newly adopted 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development has set a target to halve the global number of deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents by 2020.