In 2012 (the latest available full-year of statistics) there were 195,723 casualties of all severities, 4 per cent lower than in 2011. Fatalities fell by 8 per cent to a new record low of 1,754. Traffic levels were broadly unchanged over the same period.
Detailed tables and articles on the 2012 statistics can be found in the annual report published in September 2013:
" www.gov.uk/government/publications/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-annual-report-2012
A further article was added to the Annual Report in February, on self-reported drink and drug driving, from the ONS Crime Survey for England and Wales.
Quarterly provisional casualty estimates for 2013 have been published in August (q1), November (q2) and February (q3).
The overall picture from the latest quarter (q3) is a continued decrease in the number casualties, for the year ending September 2013. Comparing the year ending September 2013 with the previous year:
Comparing the specific quarters July-Sept 2012 with July-Sept 2013, there were increases in the number of pedal cyclist (8 per cent) and motorcyclist (1 per cent) casualties. As in previous publications, it is likely that the weather influenced the quarter-on-quarter increase in these casualty types. Summer 2012 was exceptionally wet whereas the same quarter in 2013 had rainfall well below the long-term average, which may have encouraged an increase in cycling and thus increased exposure.
Full-year Reported Road Casualty figures for 2013 will be published in June 2014.
2012 was the second wettest year on record in the UK, behind 2000, which is likely to have had affected the number of vulnerable road user casualties (pedestrians, pedal cyclists, motorcyclists). This is discussed further in the Main Results 2012 publication:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reported-road-casualties-in-great-britain-main-results-2012
Provisional results for three quarters of 2013 were published in August (quarter 1):
November (quarter 2):
and February (quarter 3):
In the year ending September 2013, 1,730 people were killed, a 2 per cent drop from 1,761 in the year ending September 2012. The number of killed or seriously injured casualties fell to 23,380, a 6 per cent decrease compared with the previous year.
KSI casualties for the vulnerable road user groups – pedestrians, pedal cyclists and motorcyclists – showed overall decreases of 10, 2 and 6 per cent respectively, for the same period.
Between July and September 2013, there were decreases in the number of car user and pedestrian casualties, of 6 and 4 per cent respectively, with similar falls in the numbers of KSI casualties – 4 per cent for car users and 10 per cent for pedestrians.
However, there were increases in the number of motorcyclist (1 per cent) and pedal cyclist (8 per cent) casualties, with a 1 per cent increase in the number of motorcyclist KSI casualties and a 2 per cent increase in pedal cyclist KSI casualties.
It is likely that these increases were at least partly due to the different weather conditions in the third quarters of 2012 and 20131. The overall UK mean rainfall between July and September 2012 was high compared with the long term average for this period – 21 per cent higher than the long term average for this period. In comparison, the mean rainfall between July and September 2013 was 38 per cent lower, and was 28 per cent below the long term average.
The markedly drier weather in 2013 would have likely increased the number of vulnerable road users (particularly motorcyclists and pedal cyclists) on the road, relative to the same period in 2012, thus increasing their relative exposure to accidents.
Future Publications:
Main results for the year 2013 will be published in June.
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