Drivers ‘fail to pay attention’: Accidents caused by unfocused or speeding motorists at decade high

A Government report into 2022 road casualties and crashes across Great Britain has found that fatal collisions involving distracted, speeding, or careless motorists are at their highest level across the past 10 years.

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Released at the end of September, the data shows that 458 road users died as a result of an impairment or distraction last year – that figure is up from 367 in 2021.

On top of this, 335 motorists were killed in incidents relating to travelling in a careless or reckless manner, or ‘in a hurry.’ Yet another decade high came from excess speed, with 303 deaths – up from 253 the year before. The data also showed that men were the most at risk.

“Confirmation that last year saw a rise in the number of casualties on our roads – and that men are so much more likely to be involved – is a chilling reminder that there remains so much work to do be done to improve road safety in the UK, even if statistically we have some of the safest roads in Europe,” RAC road safety spokesperson Rod Dennis said.

Across all vehicle types, males aged 30 to 49 made up the largest group of road casualties in 2022, having been involved in 27,486 incidents. This age range also produced the greatest number of female casualties, however at a much lower rate with 16,276 incidents.

Dennis continued: “It’s time the Government turned the dial up on tackling these issues which, while complex, result in hundreds of people losing their lives every year. We also continue to urge the Government to treat this issue with the upmost seriousness by reintroducing casualty reduction targets which were scrapped in 2010.”