Lincolnshire was the UK’s most lethal place to drive last year, new data shows
New data shows Lincolnshire was the most lethal place to drive in the UK last year as campaigners call for action to make Britain’s roads safer. Figures from the Department for Transport show there were 1,602 fatalities on British roads in 2024, a slight one per cent decrease from the previous year. A total of 29,467 people were killed or seriously injured, also a 1 per cent fall from 2023, whilst there were 128,272 casualties in total. The largest number of fatalities was among drivers and passengers of cars (692), followed by pedestrians (409), and motorcyclists (340). Last year there were 956 deaths on rural roads, which is 60 per cent of all fatalities. That compares to 555 fatalities in urban areas, and 91 on motorways. A total of 53 people lost their lives on the roads in Lincolnshire in 2024, more fatalities than anywhere else in the UK. This is despite Lincolnshire being one of several English upper-tier council areas with no motorway running through it. The next most lethal place to drive was Kent with 45 fatalities, followed by Essex with 42 and then 41 in Norfolk. Kent also had the highest number of people who were seriously hurt or killed, which was 921, and the highest number of casualties of all severities, with 3,821 people receiving some form of injury from a road traffic accident. A spokesperson for the Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership stated: “Lincolnshire has one of the largest road networks in the country and it predominantly consists of single carriageway rural roads. These are recognised as being the highest risk for road users, compared to motorways which are considered the safest roads to use. “The Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership remain committed to reducing the number of individuals killed and seriously injured on our roads through our partnership work. This means that all reported injury and fatal collisions are shared with us and collision hotspots are examined for any interventions that can be undertaken to reduce those figures.” They continued: “The A52 at Croft was highlighted as one such area and following investigations by Partnership members, substantial investment is planned by Lincolnshire County Council along a four kilometre stretch to enhance the safety of the highway for road users. “However, the Partnership believes in raising and educating the public in road safety and this begins with our younger communities, so that behaviours become embedded and are taken from childhood through to adulthood. In pursuit of this the Road Safety Officers at the Partnership delivered inputs to over 180 schools reaching in excess of 23,700 students in the last academic year.” They added: “Clearly the level of serious collisions remains too high on our roads and we will continue to do all we can to reduce those figures. But we can only do this in conjunction with all road users. We all have a personal responsibility to use our roads safely and key to this is observing the ABC of road safety: Avoid distractions; Be patient; and Concentrate.” Despite making up the largest proportion of fatalities, deaths among drivers and passengers of cars fell by 5 per cent last year. However, deaths among motorcyclists rose by 8 per cent and pedestrian fatalities increased by 1 per cent. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) is concerned that “progress on road safety has stalled”. It warns that “vulnerable road users now account for over half of all fatalities, highlighting the need for a new approach to road safety”. The figures reveal vast differences across the nation in the number and severity of injuries caused by road traffic accidents, and the worst-affected areas were away from big cities. You can see how these figures compare to where you live using our interactive map. RoSPA is now urging government and local authorities to prioritise the implementation of proven safety measures in the forthcoming National Road Safety Strategy. Key actions include lower speed limits in high-risk areas, targeted enforcement, investment in safer infrastructure to protect vulnerable road users, and renewed public education campaigns. RoSPA has also called for safety measures such as expanding 20mph zones in residential and school areas. Rebecca Guy, senior policy manager at RoSPA, said: “These figures are a stark reminder that progress on road safety has stalled, and lives are being lost unnecessarily. “It is essential that the upcoming national road safety strategy contains the measures and resources needed to prevent road traffic collisions. RoSPA’s recent Safer Lives, Stronger Nation report highlights the need for a joined-up, evidence-led approach, including graduated driver licensing for young drivers, lower drink-driving limits, better enforcement, and safer road design. “Road death is preventable, and with evidence-based solutions, we can reverse this decade of stagnation.” Three-quarters of all fatalities last year (76 per cent) and three in five casualties of all severities (61 per cent) were male. Fatalities on the roads were most likely among older men aged between 30 and 49, which accounted for 336 deaths (21 per cent of all fatalities), followed by men aged 50 and 69 (329, or 21 per cent). However, the figures do show that Great Britain is one of the safest countries in the world to drive. Last year there were 24 fatalities for every million people in Great Britain. Only Norway (16), Sweden (20), and Malta (21) had fewer deaths per one million of the population.
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