Road casualties and fatalities in Britain saw large rises in 2022 following a return to pre-pandemic traffic levels.

The casualty figures show a return to pre-pandemic trends following the lockdowns in 2020 and 2021

The newly published figures from the Department for Transport reveal there were 1,711 fatalities last year in final estimates, up 9.8% compared to 1,558 in 2021.

The data also shows 135,480 estimated casualties of all severities, an increase of 5.7% compared with the 128,209 for last year.

The figure for killed or seriously injured (KSI) casualties in 2022 also rose, up 8% to 29,742 from 27,450.

The DfT said trends in reported road casualties had begun to normalise after the national lockdowns due to Covid.

Compared to pre-pandemic 2019, the 2022 fatality figure is down 2% while KSI casualties were down 3% and the figure for all casualties dropped 12%.

But the RAC has warned that the statistics are “a chilling reminder that there remains so much work to do be done to improve road safety in the UK”.

Road safety spokesperson Rod Dennis added: “The data shows there were more fatal collisions last year than at any point over the last decade caused by drivers or riders being distracted, impaired (458 lives lost) or breaking the speed limit (303 lives lost).”

The RAC is calling on ministers to increase action on tackling road safety.

“We continue to urge the Government to treat this issue with the upmost seriousness by reintroducing casualty reduction targets which were scrapped in 2010,” added Dennis.

The AA also said it was concerned by the increases in the figures.

Edmund King, director of the AA Charitable Trust, commented: “Every death on our roads is a tragedy and it is worrying that after the pandemic, road deaths are rising.”

King also highlighted DfT data showing that around a fifth (21%) of all vehicle occupant fatalities weren’t wearing seatbelts in 2022 – and this proportion rises for male car occupant fatalities (26.%) and occupants travelling in the evening and night (41.6%).

He added: “It is a preventable tragedy that a fifth of people who die in cars on our roads are not wearing a seatbelt. Seatbelts are arguably the greatest-ever road safety invention but they are entirely useless if they are not worn. Although on the face of it this year’s results represent cause for some celebration, having dropped from 30% in the previous year, the figure for fatalities not wearing a seatbelt has remained stubbornly around a fifth for numerous years. There needs to be concerted and targeted education to reach those drivers who choose to risk their lives for the sake of a two-second action.”

The new data also shows that the number of people killed or seriously injured due to the driver of a vehicle being under the influence of drugs exceeded 1,000 for the first time, reached a record high of 1,023.

“We need an increase in police drug drive testing at the roadside so that those tempted to do so will think again,” King added.

“It’s on all of us to eliminate deaths and casualties on our roads. As well as having more cops in cars to catch people in the act, road users need to take responsibility when heading out on the roads.”