Concern as casualty statistics return to pre-Covid levels
The DfT has acknowledged that by the end of 2021, road casualties statistics had returned to pre-pandemic levels. Final figures for 2021 show there were 1,558 road deaths, a 7% year-on-year rise from the 1,460 reported in 2020. However, the 2021 figure still represents a decrease of 11% from 2019.
As has been widely reported over the last few years, casualty statistics have been heavily impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, with lockdown periods leading to a reduction in traffic on the roads.
As the first half of 2021 also had a lockdown, the DfT says the overall figures for 2021 remain lower than pre-pandemic levels. However, it concedes that over the second half of the year, both casualties and traffic returned to levels similar to those in 2019.
For example, in the first quarter of 2021 – when the lockdown was in effect – there were 21,851 reported casualties. This is 39% fewer than the same period in 2019 (35,551). However by Q3 2021, there were a total of 36,159 casualties, just 9% lower than 2019 (39,704).
