Norfolk has promised action on road safety after seeing the largest increase in road casualties across Great Britain in 2024, based on analysis of Department for Transport (DfT) data by road safety charity Brake.
According to the DfT, Norfolk saw 470 people killed or seriously injured (KSI) in 2023, but 2024 brought an increase of 16.67% to 555 last year.
There was also an increase in people killed on Norfolk roads, as well as all casualties; in 2024, there were 41 deaths on the county's roads, up 4.8% from 39 in 2023, with the total number of casualties in 2024 reaching 2,154, a further 15.2% increase from the 1,848 casualties in 2023.
Across the East of England as a whole, the region saw an increase in deaths on its roads, with 176 deaths recorded in 2024 compared to 170 in 2023, but the number of KSIs was down from 2,778 in 2023 to 2,725 in 2024 and the total road casualties was recorded as 12,958 in 2024, a decrease from the 13,112 seen in 2023.
A spokesperson for the local Road Safety Partnership - which brings together Norfolk County Council Highways, Public Health, Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service, Norfolk Constabulary, National Highways, and the East of England Ambulance Trust - said: 'The partnership recognises the increase in road casualties that is reflected in the recently published 2024 data.
'While the Department for Transport advises caution when comparing figures due to national changes in data recording, we take this news extremely seriously and are working hard, collectively, to address these concerns. Through a range of targeted initiatives, we are committed to improving road safety across Norfolk and we will continue to monitor trends closely and act as needed to keep Norfolk's roads safer for everyone.'
Official road casualty data for 2024 showed only slight improvements in road deaths across Britain as a whole. The DfT highlighted that there has been a 1% reduction in road fatalities between 2023 and 2024 in Great Britain, as well as a 4% reduction in casualties of all severities in the same period.
Call for action
As part of the Road Safety Week campaign, Brake is 'reiterating its call' for the Government to mandate life-saving technology for all new vehicles sold in the UK, in line with the Vehicle General Safety Regulations introduced in Europe in 2022.
According to Brake, adopting these regulations - which require new vehicles to feature safety technology such as advanced emergency braking, intelligent speed assistance and attention warning in case of driver drowsiness - in Britain could prevent over 1,700 deaths and 15,000 serious injuries over 16 years and save up to £7bn in health costs.
The full data from the DfT can be found here.
