Almost 150 pedestrians hurt or killed on Suffolk roads last year

Why it matters: The Department for Transport's finalised road safety statistics show 1,450 casualties were recorded on roads in Suffolk in 2024, including 142 pedestrians and 14 deaths.

The details: The casualties recorded in Suffolk last year included:

• 883 car occupants
• 191 motorcyclists
• 142 pedestrians
• 138 cyclists
• 49 van occupants
• 23 other road users
• 20 HGV occupants
• Four bus occupants

Three of the 14 people killed on Suffolk roads were pedestrians.

The bigger picture: Across Britain, there were 128,272 casualties reported in 2024, a decline of 4% from 2023. Fatalities declined 1%, with 1,602 deaths reported last year – the equivalent of four people killed in crashes each day.

Britain had an estimated 4.7 road fatalities per billion miles travelled in 2024. In Suffolk, this stood at 3.3 fatalities per billion miles travelled.

What they're saying: RAC road safety spokesman Rod Dennis said: "Britain might still have an enviable safety record compared to some other countries, but the simple fact is that casualties aren't falling at a fast enough rate any more.

"Casualty reduction targets would be one way of giving the whole topic of road safety national focus, as would fresh interventions that could help remove the riskiest drivers from our roads – for instance, introducing alcohol interlocks to stop drink-drivers from reoffending, and steps taken to reduce instances of excessive speeding."

Nicholas Lyes, director of policy and standards at road safety charity IAM RoadSmart, said: "These figures demonstrate a troubling lack of progress in bringing down fatal and serious injuries on our road network. So much so Great Britain has slipped down the international comparison table, ranking fourth compared to third in 2023."

Rebecca Guy, senior policy manager at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said: "These figures are a stark reminder that progress on road safety has stalled, and lives are being lost unnecessarily. Road death is preventable, and with evidence-based solutions, we can reverse this decade of stagnation."

What's next: The Government has committed to delivering a new road safety strategy – the first in over a decade. A DfT spokesperson said: "Every death on our roads is a tragedy and the safety of our roads is an absolute priority for this Government. We've been clear that more needs to be done in this space, which is why we are committed to delivering a new road safety strategy."

The bottom line: While Suffolk's road fatality rate remains below the national average, charities are calling for urgent Government action to tackle dangerous driving and reverse what they describe as a decade of stagnation in road safety improvements.