Each year, tens of thousands of people in the UK are involved in car accidents. But how likely is a car accident, and is one car safer than another? What steps can you take to ensure your safety on the road? 

Understanding these statistics is crucial for staying safe and shaping policies. Let's explore key car accident and road safety questions and statistics and how you can protect yourself.

1. What are the odds of being in a car accident in the UK? 

In 2022, 0.21% of the UK population were involved in a car accident. There were 143,326 injuries caused by car accidents in the UK, according to the 2022 Department for Transport Annual Report. 

2. Main causes of UK car accidents 

There are plenty of different causes of car accidents. However, three are more common than others:  

• Speeding 
• Drunk driving  
• Human error 

3. Not looking properly is the leading cause of UK car accidents

According to recent data, drivers failing to look correctly causes around 37.8% of UK accidents. This includes car drivers and motorcyclists. 

4. How many car accidents are fatal? 

Of the 143,326 injuries, only 1,766 car accident casualties were fatal. This means the chance of dying in a car accident on your daily drive is extremely low, far less than 1%.

5. Someone is killed or injured every 16 minutes on UK roads

According to 2013 to 2022 data, in the UK, a person is killed or seriously injured by a car crash every 16 minutes.

6. How many people die per day from car accidents in the UK?

On average, the data suggests five people die per day due to car crashes. A further 82 are also seriously injured. 

7. What are the odds of dying in a car crash without a seatbelt? 

Soberingly, 21% of car accident deaths occur in cars where the driver or passenger isn’t wearing a seatbelt. Please, always wear your seatbelt.  

Fortunately, seat belt usage is increasing. Gov UK found that 94.6% and 91.5% of all front and rear seat passengers wear seatbelts.

8. How does the UK car crash death rate measure up to other European countries?

The UK has the fourth lowest car crash death rate per million people compared to 32 other European countries (26 deaths per one million).

Which country is the lowest? Norway has the lowest rate with 21 deaths per million people.

9. How many alcohol-related car crashes are there? 

Alcohol has and likely always will be one of the leading causes of car accidents.   

According to the official UK Government data, around 5% of all car accidents involve at least one driver or passenger over the legal alcohol limit.  

Although the number of fatal car accidents in Great Britain is low, of those, in 2020, between 200 and 240 people were killed, and at least one driver was over the legal alcohol limit.

10. How are drink-drive crashes categorised?

The Department for Transport defines a drink-drive accident as an incident on a public road where one of these three criteria are met:

• The driver refused to do a breath test
• A breath test was failed by over 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath
• If the driver died and was found to have over 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood 

11. Are car accidents more likely in winter? 

Summer is known to be the most likely season for car accidents, but it’s not down to weather or poor driving conditions. Instead, it’s because far more people are out on the road.  

More people driving equals more crashes, which is the same reason why fatal car accidents went down by more than 17% during the pandemic in 2020. 

12. Does weather or temperature affect car crashes?

Research does suggest that higher temperatures can increase the likelihood of crashes in the UK. This is because more vulnerable drivers are on the roads in warmer weather and summer months, leading to a higher exposure to accidents. 

13. Does speeding increase the likelihood of a crash? 

Speeding is the number one cause of car accidents worldwide. When you’re speeding, you decrease your reaction time as well as increase the stopping distance, so the likelihood of an accident sharply increases. Put simply, it’s a lot more difficult to avoid an obstacle if you are over the speed limit.  

Always obey speed limits, they are there for your and everyone else’s safety.   

14. How many hit-and-runs happen in the UK?

A hit-and-run is an incident when the vehicle doesn’t stop after a car crash. 

There’s been a 40% rise in these incidents in London since 2011. The boroughs with the highest rates include Merton and Wandsworth. 

Overall, drivers fail to stop in one out of every five crashes. 

15. Who is statistically more likely to be in a car crash? 

Statistics show that there are different factors at play when it comes to who is most likely to be involved in a car accident. Here’s a quick breakdown of the main ones: 

16. What age group is most likely to be involved in a crash in the UK? 

Young male drivers under 25 are four times more likely to be involved in a car accident than drivers aged 25 or over.  

Worryingly, young car drivers account for a quarter of drivers killed in reported drink-driving accidents despite only representing 7% of drivers in the UK. 

17. Are men or women more likely to crash? 

Men are more likely to experience a casualty from driving, with 62% of all car-related injuries being male. Sadly, 78% of all car fatalities are male, according to the Department For Transport 2021 report. 

18. Which make of car has the most accidents? 

Did you know that the Toyota Prius is the most accident-prone car in the UK, with 1,207 crashes for every 100,000 Toyota Priuses on the road?

19. What car has the least accidents? 

If you’re looking for a safe vehicle, then you might want to consider an Audi. Audis account for the least number of accidents in the UK per 10,000 cars, according to the Department for Transport report. 

20. Which is more dangerous - motorbikes or cars? 

Sadly, a motorcyclist is 45 times more likely to be killed in an accident than a car driver. Motorbikes are inherently more dangerous than cars on the road. So, if you’re thinking about driving a bike, think twice. 

21. What’s the most dangerous car colour? 

Research from carVertical showed that brown cars were the likeliest to have been in an accident, with 51% of vehicles on their platform having been involved in one. Oddly, yellow was the second riskiest colour, with 50.6%, and red came in third with 49.8%.  

Conversely, the safest car colours are white and grey, with only 44% of collisions involving these colours. 

22. Car crash fatalities by road user 

A 2022 Gov UK report found that car crashes affected four main groups: pedestrians, car occupants, pedal cyclists, and motorcyclists. Here's how the data breaks down:

• Car Occupant - 46%
• Pedestrian - 22%
• Motorcyclist - 21% 
• Pedal Cyclist - 5%

23. Motorcycle accidents in the UK 

Motorcycle accidents have decreased 40% from 2004 to 2022, and serious injuries have decreased by 30%.  

However, from 2018 to 2022, an average of 104 motorcyclists were seriously injured, and six died per week. Nearly half of the fatalities were in 2 vehicle collisions between the motorbike and a car. 

The most common reason for motorcycle accidents in the UK is the driver or rider failing to look properly. So, when driving, always look once, look twice, and think bike. 

International car accident statistics 

Curious about car accidents outside the UK? Here are some international car crash statistics from the World Health Organization’s Road Traffic Injuries fact sheet.

24. How Many Car Crashes Are There A Year?

1.19 million people worldwide are killed by car accidents, and a further 20 to 50 million are affected by non-fatal injuries and disabilities).  

25. 92% of car crashes happen in low- and middle-income countries 

Middle- and low-income countries see the majority of car accidents, even though they only have around 60% of the world’s vehicles.  

26. Car crashes cost countries 3% of their GDP 

Yes, you read that right. Car crashes and accidents cause so much damage that they cost each country approximately 3% of its gross domestic product (GDP).  

27. Crash injuries are the leading cause of death for children and young adults 

Across the world, car crashes are the main cause of death for children and young adults between the years of 5 to 29.  

28. The United Nations General Assembly has set a target to half crash injuries by 2023 

In June 2022, the General Assembly set a target to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries by at least 50% by 2023. 

29. Are ride-sharing apps more likely to cause accidents? 

With the rise of ride-sharing apps (e.g. Uber and Bolt), more of us are using taxis than ever before. But has this increase in usage caused more accidents? 

No! A Study from the University of Oxford found that Uber is connected with a 9% decline in UK road accidents.

How to stay safe on the road 

Regardless of your age or what car you happen to be driving, the number one factor that influences the likelihood of an accident is your own behaviour behind the wheel.  

Following the UK car crash statistics, let’s look at how you can protect yourself on the road.  

The top five tips for how to stay safe. 

• Distracted driving. Texting, eating, or adjusting the radio can have deadly consequences. Keep your eyes on the road and hands on the wheel, especially in the dark or bad weather.
• Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is not just illegal—it's incredibly dangerous. It impairs your driving and greatly increases the risk of an accident. Always use a designated driver or taxi if you've been drinking or using drugs.
• Wearing seat belts is non-negotiable. They save lives by preventing occupants from being ejected during a crash.
• Observe speed limits. Speed limits are there for a reason. Speeding reduces your control over the vehicle and reaction time to unexpected situations.  
• Road Signs. Indicators and road signs are crucial for communicating with other drivers and navigating safely.

UK Car Accident Statistics - Final Thoughts 

After reading all these car accident statistics, we hope you feel assured that the chances of a serious car accident are extremely low. However, if you find yourself in a car accident and need car repairs, you might want to consider Bumper. 

With Bumper, you can spread the cost of any repairs at no extra cost. Apply for a credit limit and find a reliable service partner today.