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Accident statistics 2010 update

2010 Statistics (released Autumn 2011): 

The Department of Transport statistics showed the number of reported casualties was at 208,648 6% lower than 2009. Road related fatalities were down to 1,850 17% less than the figure recorded for 2009.

Pedal cycle fatalities rose by 7%. Child fatalities fell from 81 in 2009 to 55 in 2010, a drop of 32%

Further figures will be released shortly.

More from 2009

The Department of Transport has published its 2009 road accident figures for the number of people killed and injured on the UK’s roads.



The main figures were all down on the 2008 figures with a total of 222,146 casualties of all severities, down 4% on 2008. Those killed on the roads were down 12% on the year before and those seriously injured down 5% at 24,690. There was also a 4% drop in the number people suffering slight personal injury from road accidents. The number of fatalities fell for all types of road user, with the biggest fall being among road users, 16% down on the previous year.



The figures are even more impressive when compared to the average in 1994-98. Here the number killed in 2009 was 38% down, while the number of children killed or seriously injured fell by 61%. This is despite an estimated increase in traffic of 15% compared to 1994-98.



Drink driving: In 2009 there were just under 12,000 reported casualties, which occurred when someone was driving over the legal alcohol limit while the provisional number of people killed in drink drive accidents was 380, slightly down on the 2008 figure. The current figure means that deaths due to drink-driving are now less than a quarter of the 1,640 recorded in 1979.



Contributory factors to road accidents: Failing to look properly while driving was the most frequently reported contributory factor and was present in 38% of all accidents reported to the police in 2009. In 36% of accidents which involved a fatality, the most commonly reported contributory factor was loss of control. Exceeding the speed limit was reported in 5% of accidents but when taken together with driving too fast for the conditions, it was present in 13% of all accidents and 27% of all fatalities. In 58% of accidents where a pedestrian was killed or seriously injured, the pedestrian failing to look properly was reported.



Survey data on road accidents: This takes statistics from the DfT and puts them together with those from the National Travel Survey and the British Crime Survey to enable an estimation of all accidents to take place. It believes that the total number, including those not reported to the police, is in the region of 700,000, though that may be a slight overestimation of the true number.



The DfT figures also give details on hospital admissions data on road casualties and states that in 2009 there were about 39,000 hospital admissions which were as a result of a road accident. It showed that pedestrian casualties were more likely to be admitted to hospital with a head or face injury than other road users, with 46% of pedestrians suffering this injury compared to 33% of all road casualties. Other figures showed that car users were much more likely to suffer neck injuries than other road users and that a high percentage of pedestrians and motorcyclists suffered an injury to their legs or hips.



Reacting to the figures, there was a welcome, especially for the decline in accidents where people were killed or seriously injured as a result of drink driving, though many still want the government to go further and lower the drink drive limit.



A report by Sir Peter North in June recommended lowering the limit from 80mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood to 50mg, claiming that it would save hundreds of lives a year. Adrian Tink, motoring strategist for the RAC said such a move was “long overdue” and that a survey carried out by the RAC showed that 87% of those questioned supported such a move.



Neil Greig, policy and research director for the Institute of Advanced Motorists used the publication of the figures to warn the government about the possible effects of cuts in public spending. He said: “With these positive results, the worst thing to do would be to withdraw funding, and so it is important to carry on this good work. Any interventions need to combine maximum effectiveness with as little intrusion on the public’s lives as possible, to improve acceptance.”

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