Road Casualties in Great Britain: Main Results: 2007

Figures for 2007 have been revised slightly since the publication of Road Casualties in Great Britain: 2007 on 26 June. The number of fatalities has increased by three to 2,946 and the number of seriously injured casualities has reduced by three to 27,774.

The main results show that

• The number of people killed in road accidents fell by 7 per cent from 3,172 in 2006 to 2,946 in 2007. 30,720 people were killed or seriously injured in 2007, 4 per cent fewer than in 2006. There were 247,780 road casualties in Great Britain in 2007, 4 per cent less than in 2006.
• There were 182,115 road accidents involving personal injury in 2007, 4 per cent fewer than in 2006. Of these, 27,036 accidents involved death or serious injury, 3 per cent fewer than in 2006 (27,872).
• The number of deaths among car users in 2007 was 1,432, 11 per cent less than in the previous year. The number seriously injured fell by 9 per cent to 11,535. Total casualties among car users were 161,433, 6 per cent lower than 2006. Provisional traffic estimates indicate a 1 per cent fall in car and taxi traffic over the period. 
• Child casualties fell by 7 per cent. The number of children killed or seriously injured in 2007 was 3,090 (down 6 per cent on 2006). Of those, 1,899 were pedestrians, 6 per cent down on 2006. 121 children died on the roads, 28 per cent fewer than in 2006, this is the lowest ever recorded figure.
• There were 646 pedestrian deaths, 4 per cent less than in 2006. Killed or serious injured casualties fell by 2 per cent to 6,924. The all pedestrian casualty figure fell to 30,191 in 2007, 3 per cent lower than 2006.
• The number of pedal cyclists killed fell by 7 per cent from 146 in 2006 to 136 in 2007. The number of seriously injured rose by 6 per cent to 2,428. The total casualties among pedal cyclists remained at the same level as 2006.
• There were 588 motorcycle user fatalities in 2007, 2 per cent lower than during 2006. The number of killed or seriously rose compared to 2006 (up 4 per cent from 6,484 in 2006 to 6,737 in 2007). The all motorcycle user casualties figure for 2007 of 23,459 is 1 per cent higher than in 2006.

In 2000, the Government announced a new road safety strategy and set new targets for reducing casualties by 2010. It wants to see:

• 40% reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured in road accidents compared with the average for 1994-98;
• 50% reduction in the number of children killed or seriously injured;
• 10% reduction in the slight casualty rate, expressed as the number of people slightly injured per 100 million vehicle kilometres.

In 2007, the number of people killed or seriously injured was 36 per cent below the 1994-98 average; the number of children killed or seriously injured was 55 per cent below the 1994-98 average; and provisional estimates show the slight casualty rate was 30 per cent below the 1994-98 average.

Notes

1. These figures and further details are available in statistics bulletin Road Casualties Great Britain: 2007 - Main Results, obtainable from the Department for Transport, SR5, Zone 3/19, Great Minster House, 76 Marsham Street, London SW1P 4DR. A more comprehensive analysis of casualty statistics will be published later this year in Road Casualties Great Britain: 2007.

2. The statistics refer to personal injury accidents on public roads (including footways) which became known to the police. Figures for deaths refer to persons who sustained injuries which caused death less than 30 days after the accident. This is the usual international definition and differs from that used in other contexts by the Registrars General, whose published statistics cover all deaths on public roads, generally by date of registration.

3. Very few, if any, fatal accidents do not become known to the police. However, research conducted on behalf of the Department in the 1990's has shown that a significant proportion of non-fatal injury accidents are not reported to the police. In addition, some casualties reported to the police are not recorded and the severity of injury tends to be underestimated.  The Department is undertaking further research to investigate whether the levels of reporting have changed. The most recent work on levels of reporting was published by the Department in an article in Road Casualties Great Britain 2006 Annual Report (pages 60-72), which can be found at the address below: http://www.dft.gov.uk/162259/162469/221412/221549/227755/rcgb2006v1.pdf

The Department is continuing to undertake further research to investigate whether the levels of reporting have changed.

Publication details

Published on 26 June 2008 (revised 7 August 2008) by Transport Statistics.  

Email roadacc.stats@dft.gov.uk for queries concerning this bulletin.

For information about release of this product see National Statistics Online.