You’re Less Likely to Die Driving on a Motorway

Who’d have thought? Fatal crashes are least likely when all vehicles are travelling in the same direction. That piece of logic has now been confirmed in a UK study. Congested urban streets are considered the most dangerous. 

The UK Government’s statistics show a drop in the number of fatalities across the entire road network in the past 12 months.

The annual Road Casualty Report indicated 76 casualties (fatal, major and minor injuries) per billion miles travelled on Britain’s motorways last year. That’s down slightly on 2022 figures but represents an almost halving of incidents in the past decade.

The number of such incidents was almost four times higher on rural roads, also down slightly on the year before. However, the most dangerous type of roads are in urban areas, with more than twice as many casualties as on rural roads.

In total there were 1600 fatalities on UK roads in 2023, a five per cent drop on the previous year. Around 30,000 are seriously injured or killed each year on UK roads. That represents a minor drop despite more cars on the roading network.

A total of 334 billion miles were driven on the UK’s roads in 2023. With five road fatalities per billion miles, the UK is the third-safest country out of the 33 that report such data.

A commentator said that 2023 was a year of high fuel prices. Evidence shows that people undertake more eco-driving, which has potentially led to lower incidents of speeding on these roads.

“The biggest fall in fatalities appears to be among younger [people]. This could indicate that some of the messaging around young driver safety is starting to resonate. It may also be an indication that high insurance premiums are forcing younger people to be a little more cautious”. 

The number of people injured when not wearing seatbelts is rising. Evidently almost half of all British drivers feel that they can get away without wearing a seatbelt. That’s the result of a lack of visible policing on UK roads.

There are calls for a meaningful government-led road safety strategy, and for more road traffic officers to enforce the road rules. 

The new Labour government has yet to outline its policies but the Transport Secretary, Louise Haigh, promised to “maintain and renew [the] road network, to ensure it serves drivers, cyclists and other road users, remains safe, and tackles congestion.”