Reported Road Casualties in Great Britain: Quarterly Provisional Estimates Q2 2012

This publication presents statistics on personal injury road accidents in Great Britain in the year ending June 2012. The figures count accidents on public roads (including footways) which became known to the police within 30 days.

The key findings include:

• In the year ending June 2012; 1,790 people were killed in reported road accidents, a 6% drop from the year ending June 2011 (1,901). However, the number of people killed or seriously injured in the year ending June 2012 rose to 24,870, a 1% increase compared with the year ending June 2011 (24,610).

• Comparing Q2 2012 against Q2 2011 shows a 6% fall in total deaths and serious injuries, and an 18% fall in deaths alone. However, in general, single quarter comparisons should be treated with caution as data are more subject to distortion by short-term factors such as extreme weather. Q2 2012 saw extremely wet weather across England, which may affect comparison with earlier years.

• Overall for year ending June 2012; there were 148,100 reported injury accidents and 199,740 reported casualties of any severity (slight injuries, serious injuries and fatalities), falls of 3% and 4% respectively from to the year ending June 2011 figures. In comparison, motor vehicle traffic levels have risen by 0.1% in the year ending June 2012.