Skip to main content

One in 20 adults involved in UK road accident in 2012, IAM claims

One in 20 adults was involved in a road accident in the UK in 2012, according to road safety charity, the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM). Referring to information from the National Travel Survey (NTS) published by the Department for Transport (DfT), the IAM says the survey shows that 5.2% of the population admit to having been involved in an accident. The IAM says the DfT figures also reveal that men (5.6%) are more likely to be involved in an accident than women (4.8%). Overall, the IAM adds, the fi
August 8, 2013 Read time: 3 mins
One in 20 adults was involved in a road accident in the UK in 2012, according to road safety charity, the 5125 Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM).

Referring to information from the National Travel Survey (NTS) published by the 5432 Department for Transport (DfT), the IAM says the survey shows that 5.2% of the population admit to having been involved in an accident.

The IAM says the DfT figures also reveal that men (5.6%) are more likely to be involved in an accident than women (4.8%).

Overall, the IAM adds, the figures mean 2.4 million Brits were involved in the trauma and stress of a road crash last year, with around 800,000 actually injured.  In the vast majority of these crashes those involved were car occupants.

IAM chief executive Simon Best said, “The good news is that our roads have never been safer and the headline death and serious injury figures continue to fall. But we still kill five people every day, and these government figures suggest that millions are involved in minor bumps and scrapes every year.  Car and road design have delivered a safer driving environment, but it is clear that we must all share the responsibility of reducing accidents and collisions.”

Since 2007, the NTS interview has asked adults (aged 16+) whether or not they have been involved in a road accident in the previous three years and/or in the previous 12 months, and, if so, whether or not they had been injured. In 2010 the NTS also asked whether children in the household had been involved in a road accident.

In 2012, 11% of adults said that they had been involved in at least one road accident in the last three years including 4% who had been injured in a road accident. Males were slightly more likely to say that they had been involved in a road accident than females. Involvement in road accidents was highest for those aged 20-24 (16%) and lowest for those aged 60+ (8%).

Averaged over the period 2010 to 2012, in the majority of incidents the respondent was a car occupant at the time of the accident (70% of injury accidents and 91% of non-injury accidents). According to respondents, the police were made aware of 55% of injury road accidents and 28% of non-injury road accidents.

In 2012, 5% of children had been involved in a road accident in the last 3 years, of which 2% had been injured.

The 2012 National Travel Survey (NTS) is the latest in an established series of household surveys of personal travel in Great Britain. The survey is primarily designed to track long-term development of trends in travel, although short-term changes can also be detected.

NTS data is collected via two main sources - interviews with people in their homes, and a diary that they keep for a week to record their travel. The NTS covers travel by all age groups, including children. In 2012, diary data was collected from 8,200 households, covering over 19,000 individuals.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Drink driving a concern in Britain
    August 10, 2018
    The problem of drink driving is seeing an unwelcome upsurge on Britain’s road network. The latest official data reveals that casualties from drink driving are now on the increase. According to Department for Transport data, there were 9,040 people killed or seriously injured (KSI) as a result of drink driving on the British road network in 2016. Complete figures for 2017 have yet to be compiled but the trend appears to have continued. The KSI figures for 2016 represent a 7% increase over those for 2015 and
  • The UK’s pothole crisis is causing vehicle damage and crashes
    July 1, 2019
    The poor state of maintenance of UK roads is a factor in many crashes while also causing damage to vehicles according to road safety charity, IAM RoadSmart. In a bid to address the issue, IAM RoadSmart is calling for a long-term plan to tackle the problem. According to a survey it conducted, nearly 50% of the respondents have experienced pothole damage to their vehicles. The government’s Transport Select Committee has issued a report stating that the current short-term approach to financing road maintenan
  • Driver distraction poses safety challenge
    June 5, 2015
    The modern automobile offers massive gains in safety over earlier generation vehicles. Occupant protection levels have been improved due to crash testing regimes that have ensured vehicles will not collapse catastrophically in the event of an impact. Braking systems are more effective and reliable, with ABS preventing skidding in wet weather conditions. The prospect of autonomous vehicles in the near future offer further safety gains to come. But right now, there is a problem. Too much technology is bein
  • Kazakhstan’s high road risks claim lives
    February 1, 2018
    Kazakhstan has amongst the worst road safety of any country in the world. Around 3,000 people die in road crashes in the country every year, while a further 30,000 people are seriously injured. This worrying statistic reveals that Kazakhstan’s roads are so dangerous that around 24 people/1,000,000 of population are killed every year in road crashes. This figure shows that Kazakhstan’s roads are around 11 times more dangerous than those of Norway, one of the safest countries in the world for road travel.