Road
In a survey conducted by DfT, it is reported that there is a 2.6% rise in serious injuries on Britain's roads. Credit: Karsten Würth (@karsten.wuerth) on Unsplash.

The UK’s Department for Transport has reported a decline in the overall number of casualties and deaths on British roads last year.

However, the data reveals that there is a 2.6% increase in serious injuries.

The statistics show that the overall number of casualties went down by 6% last year to 160,378 when compared to 2017.

During last year, a total of 1,782 road deaths were reported, which, accounting for traffic levels, was down 1% in 2017 and down 30% in 2008.

However, the results reported a 2.6% increase in serious injuries between 2017 and 2018. Approximately, there were 25,484 reported serious injuries last year, a rise from 24,831 in 2017 and 24,101 in 2016.

Commenting on the data, insurance comparison platform Quotezone.co.uk founder Greg Wilson said: “While it’s welcome news that the overall number of casualties on British roads fell by 6% in 2018, the Department for Transport data has also revealed a worrying rise in the number of serious injuries in recent years.

“The total number of serious injuries reported has risen by 2.6% in a year and by 5.4% over the past two years.

“Still, the sharp rise in serious injuries makes it all too clear that British motorists need to be increasingly vigilant when they take to our nation’s highways and byways, particularly when they’re driving in heavily built-up areas where accidents are much more likely to occur.”

The report also revealed that the UK has one of the lowest road fatalities rates in Europe, and the fatality rate has fallen to a further 1% year-on-year between 2017 and 2018.