Road deaths fall to record low

29/09/11

Deaths on Britain's roads have reached a record low, according to official Government figures.

Last year, there were 1,850 deaths in road accidents, 17 per cent lower than the figure for 2009, and marginally less than the provisional figure of 1,857 which was released earlier this year.

Road safety groups and motoring organisations have welcomed the statistics but voiced fears that the trend might not continue given Government cutbacks.

The latest figures represent "a massive achievement", according to AA president Edmund King, but he said there was no guarantee the progress will continue.

The Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (Pacts) also welcomed the announcement but expressed reservations about the accuracy of some of the figures.

The official statistics showed serious injuries at 22,660 (8 per cent down) while total casualties (deaths and serious and slight injuries) fell 6 per cent to 208,648. Pacts said casualties reported to the police were "almost certainly an underestimate" of the real number of injuries.