Four road deaths a day in 2024 spark call for casualty reduction targets

An average of four people were killed in crashes on Britain’s roads every day last year, statistics show, sparking calls for ministers to introduce casualty reduction targets.

Department for Transport (DfT) figures show there were 1,602 road fatalities in 2024, a decline of 1% from the previous year.

The number of people killed or seriously injured fell by the same percentage to 29,467.

RAC road safety spokesman Rod Dennis said: “Britain might still have an enviable safety record compared to some other countries, but the simple fact is that casualties aren’t falling at a fast enough rate any more.

“Casualty reduction targets would be one way of giving the whole topic of road safety national focus, as would fresh interventions that could help remove the riskiest drivers from our roads – for instance, introducing alcohol interlocks to stop drink-drivers from reoffending, and steps taken to reduce instances of excessive speeding.

“The Government has long trailed its forthcoming road safety strategy, so we look forward to seeing how this can bring casualty numbers down further.”

A DfT spokesperson said: “Every death on our roads is a tragedy and the safety of our roads is an absolute priority for this Government.

“We’ve been clear that more needs to be done in this space, which is why we are committed to delivering a new road safety strategy – the first in over a decade – and will set out next steps on this in due course.”

Nicholas Lyes, director of policy and standards at road safety charity IAM RoadSmart, said: “These figures demonstrate a troubling lack of progress in bringing down fatal and serious injuries on our road network.

“So much so Great Britain has slipped down the international comparison table, ranking fourth compared to third in 2023.”