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Written on 26th May 2023 by Kim Milan

The Department for Transport (DfT) has released the latest official statistics on the number of road traffic casualties which occurred in Britain in 2022. The provisional figures include all reported collisions which occurred on a public highway and involved at least one motor vehicle, horse rider or pedal cyclist, and in which at least one person was injured, but are likely to under-estimate the number of non-fatal, minor injuries, which are not always reported to the police.

The latest road casualty statistics show a worrying rise in personal injuries from road accidents, which have almost returned to pre-pandemic road casualty levels. This confirms RAC research findings of increasing concerns about poor driving standards on British roads, leading to calls for government action to reintroduce road casualty targets and adequate road traffic policing.

In 2022, more than 28,000 people were left living with the physical, emotional and financial after-effects of serious or life-changing injury, and nearly 1700 families mourned a sudden and tragic loss of a loved one’s life.

How many people were injured in road traffic accidents in 2022?

According to the DfT’s provisional road casualty statistics for road collisions in Britain in 2022 there were a total of 136,002 casualties of all severities. Of these, 1,695 people died and 28,101 were seriously injured. It is estimated that 106,206 people suffered minor injuries.  

Three quarters (75%) of those who died, and nearly two thirds (62%) of all casualties across the range of severities were male. Both males and females in the 30 to 49 year age group had the highest number of casualties overall. Fatal injury was also more common in males aged 30 to 49, but in women over 70 years of age. A quarter of all fatalities (25%) and 29% of casualties were aged 17 to 29. Children under 17 years of age accounted for 3% of deaths and 10% of all injuries.

The road casualty statistics for 2022 show that:

  • 46% (781) of people who died (fatalities) were car occupants;
  • 22% (376) of fatalities were pedestrians;
  • 21% (354) of fatalities were motorcyclists;
  • 5% (85) of fatalities were pedal cyclists;
  • 64 were goods vehicle occupants;
  • 4 were bus or coach occupants;
  • 30 were occupants of other or unknown vehicles.

Across all types of casualties:

  • 55% (74,806) of those injured were car occupants;
  • 14% ( 19,384) were pedestrians;
  • 12% (16,962) were motorcyclists;
  • 12% ( 15,689 ) were pedal cyclists;
  • 4,735 were goods vehicles occupants;
  • 2,277 were occupants of other vehicles;             
  • 2,147 were bus or coach occupants.      

How many people were injured in e-scooter collisions?

The DfT road casualty statistics do not specify the number of e-scooter collision injuries but note that they are included within the  wider category of ‘other vehicle’ road casualties. However, they refer to an e-scooter factsheet published by the DfT which shows that more than 1,400 casualties in e-scooter collisions were reported by the police in the year ending June 2022. A total of 12 people were killed in those e-scooter accidents, of which 11 were e-scooter riders and one was a pedestrian. 

E-scooter collisions caused minor injury to 996 people and serious injury to 429 people. Severe injuries from e-scooter collision accidents included:

  • 79 head injuries, of which 35 were classed as severe;
  • 4 broken neck/back injuries
  • 6 ‘multiple injuries’;
  • 45 fractured lower leg/ankle/foot injuries;
  • 40 fractured collarbone/arm/hand injuries;
  • 9 fractured pelvis/upper leg injuries;
  • severe chest injuries.  

Of those who were the most seriously injured in e-scooter collisions:

  • 347 were e-scooter users;
  • 62 were pedestrians;
  • 18 were pedal cyclists;
  • 2 were motorcyclists.

More than 400 e-scooter casualties were under the age of 19. 14 of them were children under the age of 10. The Department for Transport estimated that around half (564) of all the e-scooter user casualties recorded in these statistics occurred outside of e-scooter rental trial areas.

If you have been severely injured as a result of a road accident and would like to find out more about funded rehabilitation or making a compensation claim, you can talk to an experienced solicitor, free and confidentially, by contacting us.