AVZ Briefing – London reported road casualties (2023)

9^th July 2024

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Key points

Using the provisional reported Killed and Seriously Injured (KSI) casualty data for London in 2023, this briefing highlights how:

Pedestrians and cyclists account for over half of reported KSIs (59%).
Cars are involved in almost two-thirds of reported serious injuries (SIs) (65%).
Cyclists were involved in 4% of reported KSIs and 7% of pedestrian SIs.
The vast majority of reported KSIs in London occur on 20 and 30mph roads. In London, it is these roads where people and vehicles mix, that the danger is greatest especially for those walking and cycling. Reducing danger on these roads is vital.

1. Numbers of casualties and mode share

Pedestrians alone account for over half of those killed and over one third of those reported seriously injured.
Cyclists make up 8% of road deaths but more than a quarter (26%) of those reported seriously injured.
Together, pedestrians and cyclists account for almost three out of every five reported KSIs (59%).

Table 1: Reported KSI by road user mode in London (2023 provisional)

Source: TfL (2024)

2. Vehicles involved

Cars are involved in almost two-thirds (65%) of all reported London SI collisions, compared to cycles (4%) and motorcycles (7%).
Goods vehicles (vans and HGVs) are involved in 12%.

Table 2: Vehicles involved in reported seriously injured collisions in London (2023 provisional)

Source: TfL (2024)

3. Reported KSIs by speed limit

The vast majority (93%) of all reported KSIs in London occur on 20 and 30 mph roads. This is where motor vehicles and people mix and more needs to be done to reduce danger on these roads (especially at junctions, in high streets and town centres and along main roads).

Source: TfL (2024)

4. Comparisons with 2022 and the interim Vision Zero target

2023 is significant as it marks the first year working towards the 2030 interim casualty target that was set out in the 2018 TfL Vision Zero Action Plan. The 2030 interim target is for a 70% reduction in serious and fatal road casualties by 2030 (against 2010-14 levels). This supercedes the 2022 interim target of a 65% reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured on London’s roads (against 2005-09 levels).
Overall, there was a 38% decline in the numbers of serious and fatal casualties from the 2005-09 baseline by the 2022 interim target date (the overall target was a 65% reduction). Car occupants were the only mode of travel which met this 65% reduction target. The number of cyclist KSIs increased (recognising that there had been a significant increase in the numbers of cycling trips over the 2005-09 baseline level).

Comparing the 2023 provisional figures with 2022, while there has been an overall reduction of 6% in the numbers of serious and fatal road casualties on London’s roads, by contrast the numbers of pedestrians seriously or fatally injured has risen by 3%. In 2023, pedestrians made up 40% of all fatalities and 34% of all serious and fatal and serious injuries.
Together those walking and cycling made up 60% of all serious and fatal casualties.

Table 4: Comparison with 2022