Mathilde Carlier
Research Expert covering transportation and logistics
Road safety in the UK - Statistics & Facts
The most common factor leading to road accidents was failure of the driver or rider to look properly. Almost 40 percent of all reported accidents in 2019 had been attributed to this cause. Smartphones and drowsiness are often cited as the leading causes for driver inattention.
Road accident prevention
Regarding governmental action and prevention, the share of British people agreeing that the law on using mobile phones whilst driving is not properly enforced peaked at 81 percent in 2006. However, there is hope that this move will lead to more stringent enforcement of the law. In 2021, the government announced plans to amend the law, which, to this point, allowed drivers to scroll for music, play games, and take photos.Slight casualties
In terms of the number of casualties, 2019 saw an uptick in those slightly injured across all age groups. However, the number of people aged 60 years and older killed in a road accident had grown by some 5.4 percent compared with the previous year. In 2019, there were almost 10,000 slight casualties recorded for cyclists between the ages of 18 to 59 years. Child cyclists under the age of 16 had been seriously injured in 461 instances.
