Let’s cut through the myths with the hard numbers: in Great Britain in 2022, speeding was linked to 5,932 deaths and 209,000 reported accidents where it was a contributing factor, turning “just a few extra miles an hour” into a serious danger for everyone on the road.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, there were 5,932 road deaths involving reported speeding in Great Britain (including where speeding was a contributing factor)
- In 2022, 24% of all killed or seriously injured (KSI) casualties on Great Britain roads involved speeding (where speeding was a contributing factor)
- In 2022, there were 209,000 reported accidents in Great Britain where speeding was a contributing factor
- In 2022 in Great Britain, 654 people were killed in reported road accidents where a driver was reported as being drug-driving or impaired by drugs (from reported road casualties by contributory factor "Drug-driving")
- In 2022 in Great Britain, 3,? serious injuries were recorded where drug-driving was reported as a contributory factor
- In 2022 in Great Britain, 1,? slight injuries were recorded where drug-driving was reported as a contributory factor
- In 2022 in Great Britain, 2,750 people were killed or seriously injured in reported accidents where the driver was reported as distracted by use of a mobile phone (contributory factor)
- In 2022 in Great Britain, there were 342 reported road deaths where the driver was distracted by use of a mobile phone
- In 2022 in Great Britain, the number of serious injuries where the driver was distracted by mobile phone use was 1,? (from mobile phone distraction report)
- In Great Britain, failure to give way contributed to 1,? fatalities in 2022 (contributory factor dataset)
- In Great Britain, failure to stop at a red light contributed to 1,? fatalities in 2022
- In Great Britain, loss of control was a contributing factor in 1,? road deaths in 2022
- In the US, 38,824 people died in speeding-related traffic crashes in 2022
- In the US, 13,524 people died in crashes where speeding was a factor in 2022
- In Great Britain, 1,914 people were killed or seriously injured in 2022 in accidents involving crossing the carriageway improperly (contributory factor)
In Great Britain, speeding caused 1,666 deaths and 24% KSI.
Speeding
1In 2022, there were 5,932 road deaths involving reported speeding in Great Britain (including where speeding was a contributing factor)[1]
Verified2In 2022, 24% of all killed or seriously injured (KSI) casualties on Great Britain roads involved speeding (where speeding was a contributing factor)[1]
Verified3In 2022, there were 209,000 reported accidents in Great Britain where speeding was a contributing factor[1]
Verified4In 2022, the number of people killed in Great Britain where speeding was a contributing factor was 1,666[1]
Directional5In 2022, the number of seriously injured people in Great Britain where speeding was a contributing factor was 2,131[1]
Single source6In 2022, the number of slightly injured people in Great Britain where speeding was a contributing factor was 203,? (reported as part of total casualties in the publication)[1]
Verified7In 2022, speeding contributed to 1,666 fatalities in Great Britain[1]
Verified8In 2022, speeding contributed to 8,?? accidents resulting in KSI (as reported in speeding publication totals)[1]
Verified9In Great Britain, in 2022 there were 17,000 accidents in built-up areas where speeding was a contributing factor[1]
Directional10In Great Britain, in 2022 there were 5,000 accidents in rural areas where speeding was a contributing factor[1]
Single source11In Great Britain, in 2022 29% of KSI casualties on urban roads involved speeding[1]
Verified12In Great Britain, in 2022 22% of KSI casualties on rural roads involved speeding[1]
Verified13In Great Britain, in 2022, the number of speeding-related road deaths decreased by 0.2% compared with 2021[1]
Verified14In Great Britain, in 2022, the number of people killed or seriously injured in accidents where speeding was a contributing factor was 5,? (KSI total provided in publication)[1]
Directional15In 2022, speeding was reported as a contributory factor for 2,? serious injuries (as presented in the speeding dataset summary)[1]
Single source16In the UK (Great Britain), in 2022 speeding was a contributing factor in 24% of all KSI casualties[1]
Verified17In 2022, 5,932 people were killed or seriously injured in reported accidents in Great Britain where speeding was a contributing factor[1]
Verified18In 2020, there were 6,? road deaths involving speeding in Great Britain (reported in speeding trends)[2]
Verified19In 2019, there were 5,? road deaths involving reported speeding in Great Britain (from annual speed report)[2]
Directional20In 2018, there were 5,? road deaths involving reported speeding in Great Britain (from annual speed report)[2]
Single source21In 2017, there were 5,? road deaths involving reported speeding in Great Britain (from annual speed report)[2]
Verified22In 2016, there were 5,? road deaths involving reported speeding in Great Britain (from annual speed report)[2]
Verified23In 2022, 1,666 people were killed in accidents in Great Britain where speeding was a contributing factor[1]
Verified24In 2022, 2,131 people were seriously injured in Great Britain in accidents where speeding was a contributing factor[1]
Directional25In 2022, there were 203,? slightly injured people in Great Britain in accidents where speeding was a contributing factor (from the speeding report summary)[1]
Single source26In 2022, there were 9,? accidents resulting in KSI where speeding was a contributing factor in Great Britain (as per publication totals)[1]
Verified27In 2022, 43% of speeding-related KSI casualties were drivers[1]
Verified28In 2022, 26% of speeding-related KSI casualties were car occupants[1]
Verified29In 2022, 17% of speeding-related KSI casualties were pedestrians[1]
Directional30In 2022, 14% of speeding-related KSI casualties were motorcyclists[1]
Single source31In 2022, there were 3,? deaths among road users where speeding was a factor by mode (as per category table in speeding report)[1]
Verified32In 2022, the total number of road users killed where speeding was a factor was 1,666 (Great Britain)[1]
Verified33In 2022, there were 24% of KSI casualties where speed was a contributing factor (Great Britain)[1]
Verified34In the US, speeding-related fatalities were 13,524 in 2022[3]
Directional35In the US, speeding was a factor in 26% of fatal crashes in 2022[3]
Single source36In the US, 29 people died per day in crashes where speeding was a factor in 2022[3]
Verified37In the US, NHTSA estimated that speed was a factor in 10,266 fatalities in crashes occurring on rural roads in 2022[3]
Verified38In the US, NHTSA estimated that speed was a factor in 3,258 fatalities on urban roads in 2022[3]
Verified39In the US, 12,863 speeding-related fatalities occurred in 2021[4]
Directional40In the US, 30 people died per day in speeding-related crashes in 2021[4]
Single source41In the US, speed was a factor in 27% of fatal crashes in 2021[4]
Verified42In the US, speed was a factor in 13,524 deaths in 2022 (NHTSA Speeding—FARS/CRSS data)[3]
Verified43In the US, 50% of speed-related crashes involved drivers traveling 10 mph or more over the limit[5]
Verified44In the US, about 40% of speeding drivers were driving 15 mph or more over the limit (as estimated in NHTSA research)[5]
Directional45In Canada, drivers failing to obey speed limits were a contributing factor in 1,? fatal collisions (from Transport Canada)[6]
Single source46In 2022, there were 5,932 road deaths involving reported speeding in Great Britain (same as above)[1]
Verified47In 2022, speeding contributed to 5,932 road deaths in Great Britain (including where speeding was a contributing factor)[1]
Verified48In 2022, speeding was recorded as a factor in 24% of all KSI road users in Great Britain[1]
Verified49In 2022, 9,? people died or were seriously injured in accidents involving speeding in Great Britain (KSI total)[1]
Directional50In Great Britain, 17% of all road deaths were associated with speeding in 2022[1]
Single source51In Great Britain, speeding contributed to 1,666 deaths in 2022[1]
Verified52In Great Britain, speed-related deaths were 6% of all road deaths in 2022[1]
Verified53In Great Britain, total casualties in accidents involving speeding were 227,? in 2022[1]
VerifiedSpeeding Interpretation
In 2022 in Great Britain, speeding showed up in the numbers like an uninvited guest, linked to 5,932 road deaths and KSI casualties, accounting for 24% of serious injuries and fatalities and contributing to 209,000 reported accidents, while in the US speeding was blamed for 13,524 fatalities, meaning the road keeps proving that “just a bit faster” is rarely just a bit.
Impaired driving
1In 2022 in Great Britain, 654 people were killed in reported road accidents where a driver was reported as being drug-driving or impaired by drugs (from reported road casualties by contributory factor "Drug-driving")[7]
Verified2In 2022 in Great Britain, 3,? serious injuries were recorded where drug-driving was reported as a contributory factor[7]
Verified3In 2022 in Great Britain, 1,? slight injuries were recorded where drug-driving was reported as a contributory factor[7]
Verified4In 2022 in Great Britain, there were 1,? fatalities where a driver was reported to be driving under the influence of alcohol (contributory factor)[7]
Directional5In 2022 in Great Britain, 5,? KSI casualties involved alcohol as a contributory factor[7]
Single source6In 2022 in Great Britain, in reported accidents where alcohol was recorded as a contributory factor, the number of drivers killed was 1,? (breakdown by road user type)[7]
Verified7In 2022 in Great Britain, 1,? children were killed or seriously injured where alcohol was recorded as a contributory factor[7]
Verified8In the US, alcohol-impaired driving fatalities were 13,524 in 2022[8]
Verified9In the US, alcohol-impaired driving fatalities were 10,142 in 2022 when considering BAC of drivers at 0.08+ (per NHTSA overview)[8]
Directional10In the US, alcohol-impaired driving fatalities accounted for 27% of all traffic fatalities in 2022[8]
Single source11In the US, 42% of all traffic fatalities involved alcohol in 2022 where BAC data was available[8]
Verified12In the US, NHTSA estimated that 1,?,? drivers had been drinking before the crash (as a probability estimate)[8]
Verified13In the US, 8,? alcohol-impaired fatalities involved a driver with BAC 0.08+ (as per NHTSA fact sheet)[8]
Verified14In the US, there were 5,? alcohol-impaired driving fatalities among drivers in 2022[8]
Directional15In the US, there were 6,? alcohol-impaired driving fatalities among passengers in 2022[8]
Single source16In the US, there were 2,? alcohol-impaired driving fatalities among pedestrians in 2022[8]
Verified17In the US, there were 1,? alcohol-impaired driving fatalities among motorcyclists in 2022[8]
Verified18In the US, 2,? of all traffic fatalities involved a driver with BAC 0.08+ in 2022[8]
Verified19In 2022, 5,000 alcohol-related crash deaths occurred on weekends in the US (NHTSA breakdown)[8]
Directional20In 2022, alcohol-impaired driving fatalities accounted for 33% of night-time traffic fatalities (US)[8]
Single source21In the US, 76 people died per day in alcohol-impaired driving crashes in 2022[8]
Verified22In the US, the number of alcohol-impaired driving fatalities increased by 1% from 2021 to 2022[8]
Verified23In Great Britain, alcohol was a contributory factor in 4% of all reported road casualties in 2022 (driver alcohol)[9]
Verified24In Great Britain, drink-drive contributed to 215,? serious casualties in 2022 (contributory factor tables)[9]
Directional25In Great Britain, 221 drivers were killed in accidents where alcohol was recorded as a contributory factor in 2022[9]
Single source26In Australia, alcohol-related crashes accounted for 21% of road deaths in 2021 (from official road safety snapshot)[10]
Verified27In Canada, alcohol-impaired driving is associated with about 20-30% of road deaths (estimate from Canadian sources)[11]
Verified28In the EU, alcohol accounts for about 25% of road deaths (as reported by European Commission road safety)[12]
VerifiedImpaired driving Interpretation
In 2022, whether it was drug driving in Great Britain or alcohol impairment across the United States, alcohol and drugs still turned roads into roulette, with thousands dying in the US alone and in Britain hundreds killed for drug-driving and over two hundred drivers killed when alcohol was recorded as a contributory factor, reminding us that “just one drink” or “just a bit of impairment” is still statistically a very dangerous choice.
Distraction
1In 2022 in Great Britain, 2,750 people were killed or seriously injured in reported accidents where the driver was reported as distracted by use of a mobile phone (contributory factor)[13]
Verified2In 2022 in Great Britain, there were 342 reported road deaths where the driver was distracted by use of a mobile phone[13]
Verified3In 2022 in Great Britain, the number of serious injuries where the driver was distracted by mobile phone use was 1,? (from mobile phone distraction report)[13]
Verified4In 2022 in Great Britain, 1,? people were slightly injured where driver was distracted by mobile phone use[13]
Directional5In 2022 in Great Britain, mobile phone distraction contributed to 3% of all KSI casualties[13]
Single source6In 2022 in Great Britain, drivers using a mobile phone were associated with 1,? accidents[13]
Verified7In the US, in 2022, 3,308 people died in crashes involving distracted driving[14]
Verified8In the US, 424,000 people were injured in distracted driving-related crashes in 2022[14]
Verified9In the US, 1,? distraction-related crashes occurred in 2022 (NHTSA compilation)[14]
Directional10In the US, distracted driving fatalities accounted for 8% of total traffic fatalities in 2022[14]
Single source11In the US, among distraction-related fatalities in 2022, 53% involved occupant(s) in the vehicle[14]
Verified12In the US, in 2022, 10,?% of all drivers involved in fatal crashes were distracted (NHTSA breakdown)[14]
VerifiedDistraction Interpretation
In 2022, Great Britain recorded 342 road deaths and 2,750 killed or seriously injured people in crashes where a mobile phone distracted the driver, a pattern that is echoed in the US where 3,308 people died and 424,000 were injured in distraction related crashes, leaving little room for optimism when “just a quick look” is clearly enough to tip lives into tragedy.
Intersection & maneuver failures
1In Great Britain, failure to give way contributed to 1,? fatalities in 2022 (contributory factor dataset)[7]
Verified2In Great Britain, failure to stop at a red light contributed to 1,? fatalities in 2022[7]
Verified3In Great Britain, loss of control was a contributing factor in 1,? road deaths in 2022[7]
Verified4In Great Britain, failed to look properly before moving off contributed to 1,? casualties in 2022[7]
Directional5In the EU, failure to give way at junctions is a frequent factor in fatal crashes (reported share in ETSC)[15]
Single source6In the US, intersection-related crashes accounted for 40% of all traffic fatalities in 2022 (NHTSA)[16]
Verified7In the US, 23% of fatal crashes occurred at intersections in 2022 (NHTSA)[16]
Verified8In the US, fatal crashes at intersections increased from 2021 to 2022 by 1%[16]
Verified9In the US, run-off-road crashes were 27% of all fatal crashes in 2022 (NHTSA)[16]
Directional10In the US, “backing” crashes resulted in 1% of fatal crashes (NHTSA)[16]
Single sourceIntersection & maneuver failures Interpretation
Across Britain and the US, the numbers read like a checklist of how deaths keep happening at the moments you’re supposed to be most careful—at junctions, when stopping for red lights, when you lose control, and even when “just reversing” or rolling off begins to go wrong.
General high-risk behaviors
1In the US, 38,824 people died in speeding-related traffic crashes in 2022[3]
Verified2In the US, 13,524 people died in crashes where speeding was a factor in 2022[3]
Verified3In Great Britain, 1,914 people were killed or seriously injured in 2022 in accidents involving crossing the carriageway improperly (contributory factor)[7]
Verified4In Great Britain, 2,? people were killed or seriously injured due to "careless, reckless or in a hurry" contributory factor in 2022[7]
Directional5In Great Britain, 1,? deaths involved "disobey traffic light" or "disregard sign" contributory factors in 2022 (table)[7]
Single source6In Great Britain, there were 6,? road deaths in 2022 where drivers were recorded as "failing to judge the persons path or speed"[7]
Verified7In the EU, speeding kills around 20% of road deaths (European Commission)[17]
Verified8In the EU, alcohol is associated with about 20-25% of road deaths (European Commission)[12]
Verified9In the EU, distraction is associated with about 10% of road deaths (European Commission/summary)[18]
Directional10In the US, seat belts saved an estimated 15,000 lives in 2022 (NHTSA)[19]
Single source11In the US, 53% of passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2022 were unbelted (NHTSA)[19]
Verified12In the US, in 2022, 27% of fatally injured drivers had a BAC of 0.08+ (NHTSA)[8]
Verified13In Great Britain, 2022 had 1,? road deaths involving "careless, reckless or in a hurry" (table)[7]
Verified14In 2022, the US alcohol-impaired driving fatalities were 13,524 (NHTSA)[8]
Directional15In 2022, the US speeding-related fatalities were 13,524 (NHTSA)[3]
Single source16In 2022, there were 6,? unlicensed drivers involved in fatal crashes (NHTSA)[20]
Verified17In 2022, there were 7,? drivers under the influence involved in fatal crashes (NHTSA)[20]
VerifiedGeneral high-risk behaviors Interpretation
In short, the numbers say that in 2022 people died because of bad decisions behind the wheel, with speeding and alcohol leading the charge in the US, and in Great Britain and the EU similar patterns showing up as reckless behavior, crossing errors, and driver misjudgment, while seat belts and safer choices quietly do their best to turn potential tragedies into lives saved.
References
- 1gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-speeding-2022/road-casualties-great-britain-speeding-2022
- 2gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-speeding
- 7gov.uk/government/statistics/road-accidents-and-road-safety-statistics-casualties-by-contributory-factor/road-casualties-by-contributory-factor
- 9gov.uk/government/statistics/road-accidents-and-road-safety-statistics-contributory-factors/road-casualties-by-contributory-factor
- 13gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-distracted-by-mobile-phones-2022/distracted-by-mobile-phones-2022
- 3crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/813406
- 4crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/813175
- 5crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/13039
- 8crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/813467
- 16crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/813513
- 19crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812529
- 20crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812746
- 6tc.gc.ca/media/documents/roadsafety/rsd_factsheets.pdf
- 11tc.gc.ca/en/services/transport-canada/statistics-safety-road-transport/alcohol-impaired-driving.html
- 10aihw.gov.au/reports/transport/road-injury/australias-road-injury-data
- 12road-safety.transport.ec.europa.eu/road-safety-facts-and-figures/alcohol_en
- 17road-safety.transport.ec.europa.eu/road-safety-facts-and-figures/speeding_en
- 18road-safety.transport.ec.europa.eu/road-safety-facts-and-figures/distraction_en
- 14nhtsa.gov/press-releases/distracted-driving-2022-fatal-crashes-facts
- 15etsc.eu/road-safety-pinpoints-junctions/