Transport accident and casualty statistics refer to personal injury accidents and casualties on public roads, which became known to the police and involved at least one vehicle.
Publications
Provisional statistics of road accidents and casualties, broken down by age, road user, road type, police force and local authority.
Attitudes to Road Safety issues.
Seatbelt wearing rates in cars and mobile phone usage.
Financial Year statistics on Injury Road Traffic Collisions in Northern Ireland.
This is a web site based publication presenting statistics on personal injury road accidents and their casualties by English local authorities.
This publication contains statistics on reported personal injury accidents on public roads (including footways)
Detailed statistics about injury road accidents, accident costs, vehicles involved, drivers and riders, drink-drive accidents, drivers breath tested, casualties and international comparisons.
Publication presenting annual statistics about personal injury road accidents and their consequent casualties for English Government Office Regions, counties, unitary authorities and districts.
Publication containing annual statistics on road casualties in personal injury road accidents, reported to the police in Great Britain.
Release containing annual statistics on accidents involving drinking and driving in Great Britain.
Publication containing quarterly statistics on road casualties in personal injury road accidents, reported to the police in Great Britain.
Presents detailed analysis of road accidents involving personal injury reported to the police.
Presents the number of casualties in Wales resulting from personal injury road accidents.
Data about injury road accidents, accident costs, vehicles involved, drivers and riders, drink-drive accidents, drivers breath tested, casualties and international comparisons.
The publication contains data on trends in personal travel, how people travel, why people travel and other factors affecting travel.
Overview
Transport accident and casualty statistics refer to personal injury accidents and casualties on public roads (including footways), which became known to the police, and involved at least one vehicle.
Data collection
Around 50 data items are collected for each accident. This includes information on drivers and casualties, such as age and gender and the time and location of the accident. Information on the different types of vehicles involved, and what they were doing at the time of the accident, is also included.
Since 2005, information is collected on factors which may contribute to an accident happening.
Estimates are also published on accidents involving illegal alcohol levels, and the resulting casualties.
Published statistics include monitoring of Road Safety Targets. They also include monitoring of Public Service Agreement (PSA) targets on the total number of adults and children killed or seriously injured. Also, the number of people slightly injured per 100 million vehicle kilometres.
Technical Data
Road casualty statistics refer to personal injury accidents in Great Britain on public roads (including footways. The accident must be reported to the police within 30 days and involve at least one vehicle.
Local and national government, and local police forces work closely to achieve a common reporting standard. Very few (if any) fatal accidents do not become known to the police. However, research has shown that a significant proportion of non fatal injury accidents are not reported to the police. There is no legal obligation to report accidents, provided the parties concerned exchange personal details at the scene of the accident. In addition, up to a fifth of casualties reported to the police are not included in the statistical return.
Studies confirm the view that the police tend to underestimate how severe an injury is because of the difficulty in assessing injury at the scene of the accident.
In June 2006, the Department for Transport (DfT) published two further reports:
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Under-reporting of road accidents: Phase 1 (Road Safety Research Report 69) by Heather Ward, Ronan Lyons and Roselle Thorea. This publication includes a review of earlier studies and provides estimates of this shortfall.
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Road accident casualties: a comparison of STATS19 data with Hospital Episodes Statistics (HES).
Consistent data is required for monitoring trends; this relies on levels of reporting of road accidents remaining constant. However, some doubts have been raised that this may not be the case.
DfT is continuing to undertake further research to investigate whether levels of reporting have changed
Glossary
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Accident
Involves personal injury occurring on the public highway, including footways, in which at least one road vehicle or a vehicle in collision with a pedestrian is involved. The accident must also be reported to the police within 30 days of its occurrence. The vehicle need not be moving and accidents involving stationary vehicles and pedestrians or users are included. One accident may give rise to several casualties. Accidents where there are no injuries are not included here.
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Buses and Coaches
Buses or coaches equipped to carry 17 or more passengers, regardless of use.
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Cars
Cars include taxis, estate cars, three and four wheel cars and minibuses except where otherwise stated. Also includes motor caravans prior to 1999.
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Casualty
A person killed or injured in an accident. Casualties are sub-divided into killed, seriously injured and slightly injured.
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Children
Persons under 16 years of age (except where otherwise stated).
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Fatal accident
An accident in which at least one person is killed.
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Goods vehicles
These are divided into two groups according to vehicle weight. They include tankers, tractor units travelling without their semi-trailers, trailers, articulated vehicles and pick-up trucks.
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Heavy goods vehicles (HGV)
Goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes maximum permissible gross vehicle weight (gvw).
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Hospital Episode Statistics (HES)
Statistics compiled by the Information Centre for Health and Social Care on inpatient admissions to hospitals in England. Each record contains clinical details of the patient’s condition, coded to the International Classification of Diseases, which allow the identification of patients whose injuries were caused by a road accident.
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Killed
Human casualties who sustain injuries leading to death less than 30 days after the accident.
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Killed or seriously injured (KSI)
KSI is the shortened term for killed or seriously injured.
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Light goods vehicles (LGV)
Goods vehicles, mainly vans (including car derived vans), not over 3.5 tonnes maximum permissible gross vehicle weight.
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Motorcycles
Two-wheel motor vehicles, including mopeds, motor scooters and motor cycle combinations.
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Motorways
Motorway and A(M) roads, which are built to motorway standard.
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Pedal cycles
Includes tandems, tricycles and toy cycles ridden on the carriageway. From 1983 the definition includes a small number of cycles and tricycles with battery assistance with a maximum speed of 15 mph.
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Pedestrians
Includes people riding toy cycles on the footway, people pushing bicycles, pushing or pulling other vehicles or operating pedestrian-controlled vehicles. Plus those leading or herding animals and people who get out of a vehicle safely and are then injured.
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Serious injury
An injury for which a person is kept in hospital as an inpatient, or any injuries whether or not they are detained in hospital. For example, fractures, concussion, internal injuries, crushings, burns (not friction burns) and severe cuts. Plus, severe general shock requiring medical treatment and injuries causing death 30 or more days after the accident. An injured casualty is recorded as seriously or slightly injured by the police on the basis of information available within a short time of the accident. This generally will not reflect the results of a medical examination, but may be influenced according to whether the casualty is hospitalised or not.
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Slight injury
A minor injury such as a sprain (including neck whiplash injury), bruise or cut which are not judged to be severe. Or, slight shock requiring roadside assistance. This definition includes injuries not requiring medical treatment.
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Speed limits
Permanent speed limits applicable to the roadway.
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Taxi
Any vehicle operating as a hackney carriage, and bearing the appropriate local authority hackney carriage plates. Also includes private hire cars.
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Vehicles
Vehicles (except taxis) are classified according to their structural type and not according to their employment or category of licence at the time of an accident.
Contact Details
For statistical enquiries about this topic, please contact:
Anil Bhagat
Email: roadacc.stats@dft.gov.uk
Telephone: + 44 (0) 20 7944 6595
Department for Transport Zone 3/19, Great Minster House 76 Marsham Street London SW1P 4DR
