DfT confirms casualty statistics for 2020
The DfT has published figures confirming there was a 17% fall in the number of road fatalities during 2020 – a trend which can be associated with the Covid-19 pandemic.
The figures, published on 30 September, show there were 1,460 reported road deaths in 2020 – compared to the 1,752 reported in 2019. There were slightly larger reductions in the number of people killed or seriously injured (down 22% to 23,529) and casualties of all severities (down 25% to 115,584).
The reduction in road traffic followed a similar trend in the same period and decreased by 21%. The DfT acknowledges that the casualty statistics for 2020 are impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and associated travel restrictions.
Road casualties saw the greatest monthly percentage decrease of 68% in April 2020 compared to three-year average for 2017 to 2019. This aligns with the first full month of national lockdown and the reduction in motor traffic (63%).
One of the key questions is what this means for casualty rates. The overall casualty rate saw a small decrease in 2020, which the DfT suggests shows ‘a correlation between road traffic and road casualties’.
