New interactive map shows Britain's deadliest roads - see how your area fares

A rural county without any motorwayswas the most lethal place to drive in the UK last year - as campaigners call for action to make Britain’s roads safer.

New Department for Transport figures show there were 1,602 fatalities on British roads in 2024, a slight 1% fall from the previous year. Some 29,467 people were killed or seriously injured, also a 1% fall from 2023, while there were 128,272 casualties in total, a 4% fall.

The largest number of fatalities was among driversand passengers of cars (692), followed by pedestrians (409), and motorcyclists(340). Despite making up the largest proportion of fatalities, deaths among drivers and passengers of cars fell by 5% last year. However, deaths among motorcyclists rose by 8% and pedestrian fatalities increased by 1%.

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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. Last year, there were 956 deaths on rural roads, or 60% of all fatalities. That compares to 555 fatalities in urban areas, and 91 on motorways.

There were more fatalities in Lincolnshire in 2024 than anywhere else, which is one of several English upper-tier council areas with no motorway running through it. In 2024, 53 people lost their lives on the roads in Lincolnshire.

Kent was the next most lethal place to drive with 45 fatalities, followed by Essex (42), Norfolk (41), and Lancashire (37). But Kent had the highest number of people who were seriously hurt or killed (921), followed by Hampshire (886), Lancashire (761), Surrey (714), and Essex (676). Overall, Kent also had the highest number of casualties of all severities, with 3,821 people receiving some form of injury from a road traffic accident.

Surrey had the second-highest number of road traffic injuries (3,120), followed by Birmingham (3,055), Lancashire (2,996), and Essex (2,965). You can see how it compares 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%) and three in five casualties of all severities (61%) were male. Fatalities on the roads were most likely among older men aged between 30 and 49, which accounted for 336 deaths (21% of all fatalities), followed by men aged 50 and 69 (329, or 21%).

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.