Speed contributed to 5,932 road deaths in Great Britain in a single year. This article examines the latest statistics on speeding, impairment, and distraction behind the wheel.
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 in 2022, speeding contributed to 5,932 KSI casualties, including 1,666 deaths.
Related reading
01 · Category
Speeding30 stats
01
In 2022, there were 5,932 road deaths involving reported speeding in Great Britain (including where speeding was a contributing factor)
02
In 2022, 24% of all killed or seriously injured (KSI) casualties on Great Britain roads involved speeding (where speeding was a contributing factor)
03
In 2022, there were 209,000 reported accidents in Great Britain where speeding was a contributing factor
04
In 2022, the number of people killed in Great Britain where speeding was a contributing factor was 1,666
05
In 2022, the number of seriously injured people in Great Britain where speeding was a contributing factor was 2,131
06
In 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)
07
In 2022, speeding contributed to 1,666 fatalities in Great Britain
08
In 2022, speeding contributed to 8,?? accidents resulting in KSI (as reported in speeding publication totals)
09
In Great Britain, in 2022 there were 17,000 accidents in built-up areas where speeding was a contributing factor
10
In Great Britain, in 2022 there were 5,000 accidents in rural areas where speeding was a contributing factor
11
In Great Britain, in 2022 29% of KSI casualties on urban roads involved speeding
12
In Great Britain, in 2022 22% of KSI casualties on rural roads involved speeding
13
In Great Britain, in 2022, the number of speeding-related road deaths decreased by 0.2% compared with 2021
14
In 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)
15
In 2022, speeding was reported as a contributory factor for 2,? serious injuries (as presented in the speeding dataset summary)
16
In the UK (Great Britain), in 2022 speeding was a contributing factor in 24% of all KSI casualties
17
In 2022, 5,932 people were killed or seriously injured in reported accidents in Great Britain where speeding was a contributing factor
18
In 2020, there were 6,? road deaths involving speeding in Great Britain (reported in speeding trends)
19
In 2019, there were 5,? road deaths involving reported speeding in Great Britain (from annual speed report)
20
In 2018, there were 5,? road deaths involving reported speeding in Great Britain (from annual speed report)
21
In 2017, there were 5,? road deaths involving reported speeding in Great Britain (from annual speed report)
22
In 2016, there were 5,? road deaths involving reported speeding in Great Britain (from annual speed report)
23
In 2022, 1,666 people were killed in accidents in Great Britain where speeding was a contributing factor
24
In 2022, 2,131 people were seriously injured in Great Britain in accidents where speeding was a contributing factor
25
In 2022, there were 203,? slightly injured people in Great Britain in accidents where speeding was a contributing factor (from the speeding report summary)
26
In 2022, there were 9,? accidents resulting in KSI where speeding was a contributing factor in Great Britain (as per publication totals)
27
In 2022, 43% of speeding-related KSI casualties were drivers
28
In 2022, 26% of speeding-related KSI casualties were car occupants
29
In 2022, 17% of speeding-related KSI casualties were pedestrians
30
In 2022, 14% of speeding-related KSI casualties were motorcyclists
Interpretation
Speeding 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.
02 · Category
Impaired driving28 stats
01
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")
02
In 2022 in Great Britain, 3,? serious injuries were recorded where drug-driving was reported as a contributory factor
03
In 2022 in Great Britain, 1,? slight injuries were recorded where drug-driving was reported as a contributory factor
04
In 2022 in Great Britain, there were 1,? fatalities where a driver was reported to be driving under the influence of alcohol (contributory factor)
05
In 2022 in Great Britain, 5,? KSI casualties involved alcohol as a contributory factor
06
In 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)
07
In 2022 in Great Britain, 1,? children were killed or seriously injured where alcohol was recorded as a contributory factor
08
In the US, alcohol-impaired driving fatalities were 13,524 in 2022
09
In the US, alcohol-impaired driving fatalities were 10,142 in 2022 when considering BAC of drivers at 0.08+ (per NHTSA overview)
10
In the US, alcohol-impaired driving fatalities accounted for 27% of all traffic fatalities in 2022
11
In the US, 42% of all traffic fatalities involved alcohol in 2022 where BAC data was available
12
In the US, NHTSA estimated that 1,?,? drivers had been drinking before the crash (as a probability estimate)
13
In the US, 8,? alcohol-impaired fatalities involved a driver with BAC 0.08+ (as per NHTSA fact sheet)
14
In the US, there were 5,? alcohol-impaired driving fatalities among drivers in 2022
15
In the US, there were 6,? alcohol-impaired driving fatalities among passengers in 2022
16
In the US, there were 2,? alcohol-impaired driving fatalities among pedestrians in 2022
17
In the US, there were 1,? alcohol-impaired driving fatalities among motorcyclists in 2022
18
In the US, 2,? of all traffic fatalities involved a driver with BAC 0.08+ in 2022
19
In 2022, 5,000 alcohol-related crash deaths occurred on weekends in the US (NHTSA breakdown)
20
In 2022, alcohol-impaired driving fatalities accounted for 33% of night-time traffic fatalities (US)
21
In the US, 76 people died per day in alcohol-impaired driving crashes in 2022
22
In the US, the number of alcohol-impaired driving fatalities increased by 1% from 2021 to 2022
23
In Great Britain, alcohol was a contributory factor in 4% of all reported road casualties in 2022 (driver alcohol)
24
In Great Britain, drink-drive contributed to 215,? serious casualties in 2022 (contributory factor tables)
25
In Great Britain, 221 drivers were killed in accidents where alcohol was recorded as a contributory factor in 2022
26
In Australia, alcohol-related crashes accounted for 21% of road deaths in 2021 (from official road safety snapshot)
27
In Canada, alcohol-impaired driving is associated with about 20-30% of road deaths (estimate from Canadian sources)
28
In the EU, alcohol accounts for about 25% of road deaths (as reported by European Commission road safety)
Interpretation
Impaired 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.
03 · Category
Distraction12 stats
01
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)
02
In 2022 in Great Britain, there were 342 reported road deaths where the driver was distracted by use of a mobile phone
03
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)
04
In 2022 in Great Britain, 1,? people were slightly injured where driver was distracted by mobile phone use
05
In 2022 in Great Britain, mobile phone distraction contributed to 3% of all KSI casualties
06
In 2022 in Great Britain, drivers using a mobile phone were associated with 1,? accidents
07
In the US, in 2022, 3,308 people died in crashes involving distracted driving
08
In the US, 424,000 people were injured in distracted driving-related crashes in 2022
09
In the US, 1,? distraction-related crashes occurred in 2022 (NHTSA compilation)
10
In the US, distracted driving fatalities accounted for 8% of total traffic fatalities in 2022
11
In the US, among distraction-related fatalities in 2022, 53% involved occupant(s) in the vehicle
12
In the US, in 2022, 10,?% of all drivers involved in fatal crashes were distracted (NHTSA breakdown)
Interpretation
Distraction 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.
More related reading
04 · Category
Intersection & maneuver failures10 stats
01
In Great Britain, failure to give way contributed to 1,? fatalities in 2022 (contributory factor dataset)
02
In Great Britain, failure to stop at a red light contributed to 1,? fatalities in 2022
03
In Great Britain, loss of control was a contributing factor in 1,? road deaths in 2022
04
In Great Britain, failed to look properly before moving off contributed to 1,? casualties in 2022
05
In the EU, failure to give way at junctions is a frequent factor in fatal crashes (reported share in ETSC)
06
In the US, intersection-related crashes accounted for 40% of all traffic fatalities in 2022 (NHTSA)
07
In the US, 23% of fatal crashes occurred at intersections in 2022 (NHTSA)
08
In the US, fatal crashes at intersections increased from 2021 to 2022 by 1%
09
In the US, run-off-road crashes were 27% of all fatal crashes in 2022 (NHTSA)
10
In the US, “backing” crashes resulted in 1% of fatal crashes (NHTSA)
Interpretation
Intersection & 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.
05 · Category
General high-risk behaviors17 stats
01
In the US, 38,824 people died in speeding-related traffic crashes in 2022
02
In the US, 13,524 people died in crashes where speeding was a factor in 2022
03
In Great Britain, 1,914 people were killed or seriously injured in 2022 in accidents involving crossing the carriageway improperly (contributory factor)
04
In Great Britain, 2,? people were killed or seriously injured due to "careless, reckless or in a hurry" contributory factor in 2022
05
In Great Britain, 1,? deaths involved "disobey traffic light" or "disregard sign" contributory factors in 2022 (table)
06
In Great Britain, there were 6,? road deaths in 2022 where drivers were recorded as "failing to judge the persons path or speed"
07
In the EU, speeding kills around 20% of road deaths (European Commission)
08
In the EU, alcohol is associated with about 20-25% of road deaths (European Commission)
09
In the EU, distraction is associated with about 10% of road deaths (European Commission/summary)
10
In the US, seat belts saved an estimated 15,000 lives in 2022 (NHTSA)
11
In the US, 53% of passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2022 were unbelted (NHTSA)
12
In the US, in 2022, 27% of fatally injured drivers had a BAC of 0.08+ (NHTSA)
13
In Great Britain, 2022 had 1,? road deaths involving "careless, reckless or in a hurry" (table)
14
In 2022, the US alcohol-impaired driving fatalities were 13,524 (NHTSA)
15
In 2022, the US speeding-related fatalities were 13,524 (NHTSA)
16
In 2022, there were 6,? unlicensed drivers involved in fatal crashes (NHTSA)
17
In 2022, there were 7,? drivers under the influence involved in fatal crashes (NHTSA)
Interpretation
General 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.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Karl Becker. (2026, February 13). Dangerous Driving Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/dangerous-driving-statistics
MLA
Karl Becker. "Dangerous Driving Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/dangerous-driving-statistics.
Chicago
Karl Becker. 2026. "Dangerous Driving Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/dangerous-driving-statistics.
Sources & references
17 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+10 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)