Understanding the major causes of road accidents to save lives

Why understanding the causes matters more than ever

Every year, thousands of people in the UK are involved in road accidents. While road safety has improved over time, the latest 2024 figures published by GOV.UK indicate that progress is slowing, and the main causes of accidents remain remarkably stable.

Understanding these causes is not just an analytical exercise it is the foundation for building effective and targeted prevention strategies.

Heavy goods vehicles and cars moving along a motorway

The leading causes of fatal accidents: persistent patterns

According to GOV.UK 2024, speed remains the dominant factor, contributing to 59% of fatal crashes.

Inappropriate driving behaviour accounts for 52%, while driver distraction is involved in 34% of fatal incidents.

Because many crashes involve several contributing factors simultaneously, these percentages overlap which is why the total exceeds 100%.

These three contributors form the core of the UK’s most severe accidents. Their stability over the years shows that risk-related behaviours remain a major driver of road fatalities and that they are far more resistant to change than improvements in infrastructure or vehicle technology.

Different environments, different risk dynamics

The GOV.UK data also highlights that the causes of accidents vary significantly depending on the environment.

In urban areas, interactions between vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists and powered two-wheelers create dense and complex conditions where distraction or inappropriate behaviour can quickly lead to a severe crash. Vulnerable road users remain particularly exposed.

In rural areas, speed plays a far greater role. Crashes are less frequent but far more severe due to higher impact speeds and less forgiving road layouts.

A single journey can therefore involve very different levels of risk depending on the sections of road travelled.

Data: a decisive lever for understanding and preventing risk

Road safety can no longer be approached only through the lens of isolated incidents.

It is the patterns, recurring behaviours, and geography of risk that truly explain why accidents occur.

With mobility data, organisations can now:

Analyse actual driving speeds and their correlation with incidents
Observe driving behaviour on specific road segments
Understand the density and nature of interactions with vulnerable road users
Monitor how risk evolves across time and location

This level of insight transforms casualty statistics into a genuine decision-making tool.

Turning insight into action with MICHELIN Mobility Intelligence

At MICHELIN Mobility Intelligence, we help mobility operators and private organisations leverage data to identify high-risk areas, understand the factors behind them, and prioritise the most effective interventions.

By combining casualty data, real driving behaviour, speed analysis and detailed knowledge of road environments, we provide a contextualised and operational understanding of road risk.

This approach enables organisations to anticipate critical situations, adapt routes or operations, guide driver training programmes, and measure the real impact of their decisions.

👉 Looking to better understand the causes of risk on your network or across your routes? MICHELIN Mobility Intelligence can support you with data-driven insights.

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