Fewer crashes, but more severe casualties in Great Britain

The latest 2024 data published by the Department for Transport (GOV.UK) reveals a paradox that should concern every public authority:
the total number of road collisions has declined, yet the severity of casualties has increased.

This shift highlights a structural issue in the UK’s road safety landscape. Even as collision numbers fall, the crashes that still occur are more likely to result in serious or fatal injuries.
For road authorities, transport planners and local governments, this signals a need to rethink where and how interventions are prioritised.

A decline in collisions, but not in gravity

According to GOV.UK 2024, overall collision volumes are decreasing, but this trend is not mirrored by a comparable reduction in fatal and serious injuries.
This indicates that while fewer incidents take place, the conditions in which they occur road layout, speeds practised and surrounding environments increasingly lead to severe outcomes.

Speed remains a key contributor. GOV.UK data shows that speed is a factor in 59% of fatal road collisions, underscoring its role in crash severity rather than frequency alone.

Several factors contribute to this imbalance.
Rural roads, for example, continue to account for a disproportionate share of fatal casualties, despite representing a minority of total collisions. Higher speeds, limited visibility, narrow lanes, and unforgiving geometry amplify impact severity, even when driver behaviour is otherwise compliant.

In urban environments, the picture is different but equally concerning. Interactions between vehicles and vulnerable road users lead to high-severity injuries, particularly where traffic density and complex junctions increase exposure and reduce margins for error.

This divergence between frequency and severity reveals a critical insight for public bodies:
reducing the number of collisions is no longer sufficient the focus must also shift toward reducing their consequences.

Understanding where risk intensifies

To respond effectively, road authorities need a granular understanding of where severity increases and why.
Relying solely on collision counts can obscure critical parts of the network where the likelihood of serious injury is high, even when incident volumes are relatively low.

Data becomes essential for identifying these sections, whether they involve rural routes with consistently high speeds, urban corridors with recurring severe collisions involving pedestrians or cyclists, or transitional zones where changes in the road environment affect driver perception and reaction.

These insights enable public authorities to move toward a severity-focused approach, prioritising interventions where they can reduce harm most effectively.

From insights to action with MICHELIN Mobility Intelligence

MICHELIN Mobility Intelligence supports public authorities by transforming mobility and casualty data into actionable intelligence.
By combining behavioural indicators, speed analysis and detailed network assessments, we help identify road environments where crash severity increases even when overall collision numbers appear stable or declining.

This data-driven perspective enables authorities to redesign high-risk segments, refine speed management strategies, prioritise infrastructure investment and deploy targeted interventions aimed at reducing both fatalities and serious injuries.

Want to identify where severe casualties are concentrated across your network? MICHELIN Mobility Intelligence can support you with evidence-based insights.

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