The latest figures from the Department for Transport (DfT) have revealed that road deaths increased in the UK last year.
In total, there were 1,633 deaths on the road in 2024, which is a slight increase (1%) from 2023’s total, while 29,537 people were either killed or seriously injured.
Interestingly, the total number of casualties (which includes minor injuries as a result of road traffic collisions and incidents) actually decreased by 3%.
How Do We Improve Road Safety?
With traffic levels on the road in the UK reaching an all-time high and people taking more journeys on average, road safety is coming under the microscope.
At a glance it appears that the correlation is only natural – the more traffic on the roads, the more incidents there will be.
And to a certain extent, that’s true. But the issue is that the more figures rise, the more pressure the government, local authorities and National Highways come under to do more to ensure that road users are safe.
With these figures coming at a time when we’re about to see the biggest change in driving habits and behaviours since cars became the predominant mode of transport, road safety experts are calling for more to be done.
Electric Vehicles are already widespread in the market, while autonomous vehicles could be a significant presence on the roads in less than 2 years, according to recent discussions by the government.
As part of the government’s National Road Safety Strategy, a new policy document has been discussed – but no firm action has been taken to bring the policy under one roof.
CLICK HERE to read the full story on the rise in road death figures announced by the DfT
Smart Motorways often take the headlines but as we all know, issues such as distracted driving (and mobile phone use), speeding, tailgating and lane hogging are issues we see on a daily basis.
There has been talk of AI technology being deployed to capture offenders in a bid to take pressure off police and authorities, as well as acting as a deterrent to drivers.
Road Safety – The Bigger Picture
Mitigating risk is something we all want to do as drivers and when you’re looking after an entire fleet, that only becomes more important.
It’s something we can help with, both in mitigating risk for your vehicles (through Fleet Monitor which you can find out more about here) and through Driving Monitor, to ensure you’ve got full oversight on everything from licence checks to training monitor, telematics integration and even accident monitor.
All the indication is that we’re likely to see even more road users in the future, rather than fewer, which makes road safety policy a crucial factor for all drivers and fleets.
Whether that involves more technology to combat dangerous driving and driving offences or more education, the key is what action the government takes in the near future. There is a significant opportunity to take affirmative action as driverless vehicles undergo safety testing in the next year or two.
Do you think more needs to be done to improve road safety as traffic levels continue to increase? Let us know in the comments below…
