100+ Driving Crime and Safety Statistics 2024

According to the latest data, Brits aged 30-49 made up the greatest number of road fatalities in the year ending June 2023, accounting for more than a quarter (26.84%) of deaths during this period.

Our driving safety and crime report gathers the most prominent UK road collision statistics for 2024, including information on drink and drug driving and seatbelt safety.

Top UK driving safety and crime statistics

• There were 133,443 road accidents in the UK in 2023 – a 3% drop from 2022. 

• The majority of people (77%) involved in a UK road accident are slightly injured. 

• Those aged 30-49 made up more than a quarter (26.94%) of all road fatalities in 2023 – the most from any age group. 

• Men make up the majority of both casualties and drivers involved in drink-drive collisions and all reported road collisions.

• Vans (light goods vehicles) have the highest proportion of observed driver mobile use (0.62% of drivers).

• 2016 was the highest recorded year for reports of ‘killed or seriously injured’ (KSI) casualties and ‘fatal or serious collisions’ (FSC) as a result of driver mobile use, at 170 and 147, respectively.

UK road accident statistics

According to the most recent data available, the number of reported UK road accidents stood at 133,443 for 2023 (in the year ending June). This was a 3% drop from 2022 figures and a decrease of more than a quarter (28%) from 10 years earlier. 

A breakdown of UK road accidents statistics (2023) 

(Source: Department for Transport / GOV.UK)

Those slightly injured make up the largest proportion of all casualties, accounting for more than three-quarters (77%) of all road accidents in 2023. This represented a drop of almost a third (32%) from 2013 and a 4% decrease from 2022. 

Those killed in UK road accidents make up the smallest percentage of casualties at 1.2%. Even still, this is a 9% decrease from the 2022 reported figures and a 5% drop from 2013.

Road traffic deaths by age

According to provisional estimates, persons aged 30-49 made up the greatest number of fatalities for the year ending June 2023, with 440 deaths. This age group accounts for 26.94% of all fatalities in this period.

A breakdown of reported road fatalities by age group in Great Britain for the year ending June 2023 (provisional)

Persons aged 70 and over represent the second greatest number of reported road fatalities, with 387 deaths (23.70% of total fatalities). Following closely behind are 50-69 year olds, accounting for 382 deaths – 23.39% of total fatalities.

Do men or women have more car accidents?

Across all ages and genders, males made up the greatest number of casualties in 2023. At 80,000, this is more than 30,000 more than reported female casualties (49,887).

A breakdown of reported road casualties by age group and gender in Great Britain, the year ending June 2023 (provisional)

Males aged between 30-49 represented the most reported road casualties in 2023. At 27,303, this age group accounted for a third (34%) of all male casualties and a fifth (20.94%) of all casualties across genders.

In comparison, the female age group with the greatest number of casualties (ages 30-49, 16,077 casualties) represents 12.38% of all casualties across genders.

What type of roads have the most accidents?

According to the most recent data available from 2022, the majority of UK road accidents occur on B roads, C roads, and unclassified roads.

Of the 106,004 reported collisions in 2022, more than half (52.5%) of the 106,400 reported accidents took place on one of these three types of road.

A breakdown of reported road collisions by road type (Great Britain, 2013-2022)

Between 2013 and 2022, this group of roads have seen the smallest reduction in total collisions, decreasing by less than a fifth (19.18%) in 10 years.

Motorways have experienced the greatest reduction in collisions across all road types, dropping by 35.35%, from 5,397 in 2013 to 3,435 in 2022. A roads faced a decrease of more than a quarter (27.15%) during the same period.

Read our guide to find out how to make a car insurance claim after an accident.

Number of driving casualties by road user type

In 2022, 207,519 road casualties were reported across all road user types, with car occupants representing the greatest number at 74,379 – over a third (35.84%) of all casualties.

Following car occupants, car drivers are the second most common casualties reported, with nearly 74,400 recorded in 2022 alone.

A breakdown of reported road casualties by road user type (Great Britain, 2013-2022)

Source: Department for Transport / GOV.UK

On the other end of the scale, bus or coach drivers account for the fewest casualties, and the number has decreased steadily by nearly half (45.54%) over the 10 years.

The only road user type to see an increase in casualties between 2013 and 2022 is the ‘other or unknown vehicle occupants’ category, which includes casualties involving e-scooter riders.

Casualties as a whole have decreased by 26.33% over the 10 years to 2022. However, since the pandemic year of 2020, the number of reported casualties has been gradually increasing in roughly 20,000 increments, taking the number of road casualties closer to pre-pandemic levels.

Read our guide on understanding what to do if you’re involved in a car accident.

Which country has the most car accidents?

According to the most recent government data, England accounted for nearly nine in ten (88.70%) UK road collisions reported in 2022. Nearly 100,000 collisions were reported in the country in 2022 (98,564), a decrease of 20.38% from 2013 (123,786).

Meanwhile, Northern Ireland accounted for 4.60%, Scotland for 3.71%, and Wales for 2.98%.

A breakdown of reported road collisions by countries of the UK (2013-2022)

Source: Department for Transport / GOV.UK

Scotland has seen the greatest reduction in the number of accidents, with reports decreasing by more than half (54.06%), from 8,979 to 4,125. This is followed by Wales with a reduction of 43.77%.

Northern Ireland has faced the smallest reduction in collisions, at just 12.1% (from 5,820 to 5,116).

The overall number of road collisions in the United Kingdom decreased by 23.09% between the years of 2013 and 2022, from 144,480 to 111,120.

A breakdown of reported road collisions by region (United Kingdom, 2013-2022)

Source: Department for Transport / GOV.UK

The most recent road traffic statistics indicate that England’s capital, London, saw the greatest number of road collisions in 2022, at 23,502. This is more than a fifth (21.15%) of all accidents in the UK (111,120). 

Of all 12 regions in the UK, London is the only one to have seen an increase in the number of collisions between 2013 and 2022. While all other regions managed to decrease the number of collisions, London saw 1.75% more (up from 23,097 to 23,502).

The North East saw the fewest collisions in 2022 (3,169) – fewer than the other countries of the UK, Northern Ireland (5,116), Scotland (4,125) and Wales (3,315).

Will a non-fault accident affect my insurance? Read our guide to understanding what happens after a non-fault collision.

Main causes of UK road accidents

Number of road fatalities by contributing factor

According to the most recent data on road fatalities in the UK, nearly a quarter (24.4%) of road deaths in 2022 were attributed to the cause of loss of control of the driver.

A breakdown of the top 10 contributory factors attributed to reported road fatalities in Great Britain, 2022

Two other contributory factors were also attributed to more than a fifth of reported road fatalities. In 22.3% of cases, it was determined that the driver or rider had failed to look properly, while 21.8% of fatalities were down to careless or reckless drivers or riders.

Exceeding the speed limit accounted for nearly a fifth (19.7%) of contributory factors in fatalities in 2022.

Do more road casualties occur in deprived areas?

The Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) is divided into deciles. This is calculated by ranking all areas in England from most to least deprived and then dividing them into 10 equal groups.  

The number of road casualties is mostly in line with the IMD as the number of road casualties generally reduces as deprivation decreases.

A breakdown of the percentage of total road casualties by IMD decile of casualty home postcode (England, 2022)

Only the IMD decile of the more deprived 10% to 20% bucks this trend, as this postcode has the highest proportion of casualties, at 12.6% (three percentage points higher than the most deprived 10%).

In 2022 the difference in casualties between the most deprived 10% of postcodes and the least deprived 10% was 5.5 percentage points.

Statistics on seatbelt deaths

In 2022, just over a fifth (21%) of all car occupants recorded as fatalities were not wearing seatbelts.

A breakdown of the proportion of car occupant fatalities not wearing a seatbelt by gender (Great Britain, 2022)

Males account for three times more fatalities where the occupant is recorded as not wearing a seatbelt than females.

More than a quarter (26.5%) of deaths of male drivers and passengers were of those not wearing a seatbelt, while this figure is a tenth for women (10.3%).

A breakdown of the proportion of car occupant fatalities not wearing a seatbelt by the time of day (Great Britain, 2022)

The proportion of car occupant fatalities reported not wearing a seatbelt is far higher during the evening and night (6pm to 8am) than during the daytime (8am to 6pm).

Four in 10 (41.6%) fatalities during the night are occupants recorded not wearing a seatbelt, compared to one in ten (11.1%) occupants travelling during the daytime.

UK drink driving statistics

According to the latest drink driving statistics, the overall number of casualties where at least one deceased driver had alcohol detected has reduced since 2014. In 2014, 267 casualties were reported, dropping by 5.99% to 251 in 2021.

Number of drink driving casualties by year

The number of seriously injured and slightly injured persons as a result of road collisions where at least one deceased driver had alcohol detected has both decreased since 2014.

Reports of seriously injured casualties have gone down by 12.77%, while reports of those slightly injured have decreased by a fifth (20%).

A breakdown of casualties in reported road collisions where at least one deceased driver had alcohol detected (Great Britain, 2014-2021)

The number of reported seriously injured and slightly injured casualties peaked a year earlier than reported fatalities in 2017 (vs. 2018).

While reports of persons seriously injured decreased steadily in 2018 and 2020 before rising in 2021, reports of slightly injured casualties more than halved between 2018 and 2019, before gradually rising again.

Number of drink driving fatalities by year

The number of fatalities reported from road collisions where at least one deceased driver tested positive for alcohol has only narrowly decreased since 2014. In 2014 this figure was 180, dropping by 1.11% to 178 in 2021.

A breakdown of fatalities in reported road collisions where at least one deceased driver had alcohol detected (Great Britain, 2014-2021)

2018 records the greatest number of fatalities of this type at 200. While this figure steadily decreased over the next two years to 154, fatalities rose again in 2021 (by 24).

What percentage of UK car accidents are caused by drunk driving?

According to most recent government statistics, drink driving collisions represented an estimated 4.44% of all reported collisions in 2021.

A breakdown of drink drive collisions as a percentage of all reported collisions (Great Britain, 2012-2021)

For the most part, drunk driving collisions have represented between 4% and 5% of all collisions in the 10 years to 2021. However, in 2014 this figure reached a low of 3.84%, a quarter of a percent lower than the year on either side (2013: 4.10%, 2015: 4.09%).

In 2021, drink driving collisions represented an estimated 4.61% of all reported road traffic collisions in Great Britain.

Drink driving statistics by gender

Men make up the majority of both casualties and drivers involved in drink-drive collisions, and all reported road collisions, according to the most recently published government data.

A breakdown of casualties and drivers involved in drink-drive collisions and all reported collisions, by gender (Great Britain, 2021)

The biggest disparity between genders is represented in the proportion of drivers involved in drink-drive collisions. While female drivers make up just a fifth of this figure, male drivers account for almost four-fifths (79%) of drivers in these collisions.

The highest proportion of women is represented in casualties involved in all reported road collisions, where women account for almost two-fifths (38%) of casualties.

UK drug driving statistics

Unlike the number of casualties resulting from collisions where at least one deceased driver tested positive for alcohol, the number of casualties related to impairment drugs has instead increased since 2014. 

In 2014, there were 193 casualties where a deceased driver tested positive for an impairment drug – this rose by 46.11% to 282 in 2021.

What percentage of UK car accidents are caused by drug driving?

The numbers of seriously or slightly injured casualties resulting from a collision where a deceased driver had an impairment drug detected have both increased since 2014. 

Recorded serious injuries have increased at a greater rate, 28.95% (from 38 to 49), than reports of slight injuries at 13.16% (38 to 43).

A breakdown of casualties in reported road collisions where at least one deceased driver had an impairment drug detected (Great Britain, 2014-2021)

The number of those seriously injured in this type of collision was highest in 2016 (73), while the number of those slightly injured peaked a year later in 2017 (76).

How many road fatalities are linked to drug use?

The number of fatalities resulting from a collision where a deceased driver had an impairment drug detected has increased by more than three-fifths (62.39%) since 2014, from 117 to 190 in 2021 (most recent figures available at the time of writing).

A breakdown of fatalities in reported road collisions where at least one deceased driver had an impairment drug detected (Great Britain, 2014-2021)

Recorded fatalities in this category were highest in 2018, at 235 reports. This figure decreased over the next couple of years before rising again in 2021 (190).

How many fatalities are linked to a driver under the influence of alcohol or drugs?

Of the 12,324 fatalities reported between 2014 and 2021, around 1,289 deceased drivers were found to have alcohol or drugs in their system. This means roughly one in 10 drivers who lost their lives while driving had consumed drugs/alcohol.

A breakdown of the type of drugs detected, by age of the deceased driver (Great Britain, 2014-2021)

Source: Department for Transport / GOV.UK

Most recent government stats indicate that deceased drivers from the age group 25 to 39 were recorded as having the greatest proportion over the limit, at 17% of fatalities. The majority of these (111) were drivers with only alcohol detected in their system, followed by 88 with only illegal drugs detected.

Both age groups, 20 to 24 and 30 to 39, had a proportion of 16% of drivers over the limit. As with the groups 25 to 39, the top substances detected were alcohol only and illegal drugs only.

Those aged 60 to 69 and 70+ reported the lowest proportion of fatalities with substances detected in the deceased drivers’ systems (3%).

Distracted driving statistics

Distracted driving statistics by vehicle type

According to the latest distracted driving statistics, 0.28% of all drivers in England were observed using a mobile phone while driving (data collected Monday-Friday throughout Autumn 2023).

A breakdown of hand-held mobile phone use by vehicle type in England (weekdays, Autumn 2023)

The rate of mobile phone usage by van drivers is more than triple that of usage by car drivers, at 0.62% vs 0.20%, respectively.

Those operating lorries (heavy goods vehicles) were the second most common perpetrators of distracted driving, with just under three in 10 (0.29%) observed using a mobile phone while driving. 

Drivers of buses, coaches, or minibuses were the only vehicles not observed to have used a mobile device while driving (0.00%).

Distracted driving statistics by age group

Young drivers are the biggest perpetrators of distracted driving, with 0.45% of vehicles observed using a mobile phone while driving.

A breakdown of hand-held mobile phone use by age group in England (weekdays, Autumn 2023)

Mobile phone use while operating a vehicle decreases in line with age. 0.30% of drivers aged 30 to 59 were observed using a mobile device while driving. Meanwhile, older drivers aged 60 and over were observed at the lowest rate, at 0.11%.

Accidents caused by mobile phones statistics

In the 10 years to 2022, the number of reported road casualties resulting in someone killed or seriously injured (KSI) as a result of driver mobile phone use has increased overall by 17.24% (145 to 170).

A breakdown of number of reported KSI road casualties as a result of driver mobile phone use (Great Britain, 2013-2022)

The number of KSI road casualties caused by mobile phone usage peaked in 2016, when there were 191.

Although the number of casualties hasn't reached the same levels since this point, the number started to increase again in 2021, reaching 170 KSI casualties.

A breakdown of number of reported FTC road collisions as a result of driver mobile phone use (Great Britain, 2013-2022)

Similarly to KSI casualties, the number of reported fatal or serious collisions (FSC) has also increased in the 10 years to 2022, albeit at a much higher rate. Since 2013, the number of FSC casualties has increased by 28.94%, from 114 to 147.

The same as KSI casualties, 2016 was also the year with the highest recorded number of FSCs as a result of driver mobile phone use.