The latest Reported Road Casualties Great Britain annual report 2022 has been just been published

Reported road casualties Great Britain, annual report: 2022 – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The headline figures are

Fatalities                                           Down by 2%  to 1711 compared with 2019

Killed or Seriously Injured               Down by 3% to 29742 compared with 2019

All Casualties                                   Down by 12% to 135,480 compared with 2019.

It’s good to see that the government are doing a great job. No doubt the news of the continuing decline in fatalities and injuries of all types is justification of the draconian measures meted out by various government departments, local authorities and London mayor Sadiq Khan to curb the reckless behaviour of ordinary motorists.  Indeed, it’s a clarion call for more of the same,  because with an average of 142 people PER WEEK still dying on Britain’s roads, the level of misery wrought on families across the country is clearly still unacceptable.

Except that, as with all government statistics, the facts  are not all they seem to be.

One of our more eagle-eyed trainers decided to burrow into the well-hidden tables of the report and noticed that the latest figures are compared with the pre-covid year of 2019.  This seems very strange when 2021 figures are available for comparison.

Comparing  2022 against 2021  you will find the following

Fatalities                                           UP by 9.82%  (1,711 against 1,558 in 2021)

Killed or Seriously Injured            UP by 8.34% (29,742 against 27,450 in 2021)

All Casualties                                    UP 5.67% (135,480 against 128,209 in 2021).

Comparing 2021 with 2020 we had a similar situation.

Fatalities                                              UP 6.29%

Killed or Seriously Injured              UP 10.63%

All Casualties                                      UP 6.51%

As you would expect in the lockdown year of 2020 the figures were lower.

However 2021 figures are available, so why is 2022 being compared with 2019?

Could it be because they tell a better story?  Could it be because it provides (false) evidence that government’s and local authorities persecution of the motorist in the interests of road safety is totally justified?

You may think that, but I couldn’t possibly comment.