New figures out today from the Department for Transport show that road fatalities rose from 1,558 in 2021 to 1,695 in 2022 – an increase of 8.7%.

The AA has called for a priority on five-star drivers, on five-star roads and in five-star cars

The provisional data indicates that the number of car occupants who lost their lives increased by 99, while motorcyclist deaths rose by 44 and pedestrian fatalities increased by 15. Fatalities involving e-scooters rose to 12 last year compared to 10 in 2021.

Deaths of pedal cyclists were the only road user type to fall in 2022 (85 compared to 111 in 2021), however the number of cyclists killed or seriously injured rose by to 5,602 – up by 500.

The DfT said the figures, based on data supplied by police forces by May 2023, indicated a return towards pre-pandemic trends. As lockdowns took place in both 2020 and 2021, it’s compared the results to 2019 figures, the most recent equivalent pre-pandemic year, which shows declines for fatalities and casualties.

But the AA said the figures were disappointing and tragic, and called for further action to tackle road safety.

Edmund King, AA president, said: “Any death on our roads is a tragedy, and an 8.7% increase in fatalities is incredibly worrying.”

He added: “Our target should be for Vision Zero with no road deaths, but we are still averaging just under five deaths every day on the roads. This is not acceptable. There needs to be more of a concerted effort and priority to aim for five-star drivers, on five-star roads in five-star cars.

“Action is needed now in order to make our roads safer for everyone, regardless of how they travel. We need more engineering, more education and more enforcement to get road casualty figures falling rather than rising.”

The RAC said that while the lack of progress over many years in bringing overall casualty numbers down was itself a cause for concern, the figures for the number of men – of all age groups, but especially the young – killed on our roads was stark.

Overall, the DfT statistics for 2022 reveal that 75% of fatalities and 62% of casualties of all severities were male.

Breaking down the figures by age, 3% of fatalities and 10% of casualties were 16 years old and under, rising to 25% of fatalities and 29% of casualties for the 17 to 29 years old bracket. Meanwhile, 23% of fatalities and 7% of casualties were aged 70 years old and over.

RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: “Every person killed is one person too many and we feel improving road safety needs to be given the attention and resources it deserves. We urge the Government to take a serious look at reintroducing casualty reductions targets to give the whole topic much more focus on a national stage.

“RAC research also shows an increasing proportion of drivers are concerned about the poor standard of driving – as many as one-in-three say it is one of their main concerns. As a result, we strongly believe the Government should look at whether the long-term decline in full-time road traffic police officers has led to a worsening in driver behaviour and a rise in casualties as a result.”

More action needed to prevent death and serious injury on London’s roads, says TfL

Transport for London (TfL) has published its own report for the capital, giving data on road traffic casualties during 2022.

The figures reveal that the number of people who were killed or seriously injured in London increased by 11%, rising from 3,580 in 2021 to 3,974 in 2022. This was said to largely reflect the increase in activity and traffic as the capital recovered from the pandemic.

People walking, cycling and motorcycling continue to be most at risk, making up 80% of all people killed or seriously injured in 2022. While the number of people killed while cycling has fallen by 58%, the number seriously injured has increased by 42% against the 2005/09 baseline.

However, last year was the lowest year on record for fatalities, with 101 people tragically killed on London’s roads, excluding 2020 and 2021 which were heavily affected by pandemic related lockdowns and changes in travel patterns.

TfL said urgent action was needed to achieve the Mayor’s Vision Zero goal of eliminating death and serious injury from the transport network.

Lilli Matson, TfL’s chief safety, health and environment officer said: “There is still much more to do to eradicate road deaths and serious injuries. We are determined to make London a greener, more sustainable and safer city, and Vision Zero is an essential part of building a better London for everyone.”