In 2021, road casualties showed signs of a return to pre-pandemic trends, increasing compared to 2020 when casualty numbers were low, largely as a result of periods of lockdown resulting in a reduction in road traffic.

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As the first half of 2021 also had a lockdown, the overall figures for 2021 remain lower than pre-pandemic levels. Over the second half of the year, both casualties and traffic returned to levels similar to those in 2019. Monthly changes in casualties during 2021 generally showed a similar trend to changes in motor vehicle traffic levels.

These final statistics show:

• an estimated 1,558 reported road deaths in 2021, a decrease of 11% from pre-pandemic levels (2019)
• a rate of 5.2 fatalities per billion vehicle miles in 2021, a higher rate compared with 2019 and a lower rate compared with 2020
• an estimated 27,450 killed or seriously injured (KSI) casualties in 2021, a decrease of 11% compared to 2019, with a casualty rate of 91 KSIs per billion vehicle miles, a similar rate compared with 2019
• an estimated 128,209 casualties of all severities in 2021, a decrease of 16% compared to 2019, with 425 casualties per billion vehicle miles, a lower rate compared with 2019

Considering the different road user types and demographics, the statistics show:

• there was an increase in casualties for all main road user types in 2021 compared with 2020
• pedal cyclists showed a reduction in fatalities (21%) following a large increase associated with the pandemic – the opposite pattern to other road user types

there are age and sex differences in casualty trends, with female fatalities aged 70 and over showing a particularly large reduction compared with prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (43% reduction in 2021 compared with 2019)

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