Cars are becoming safer, but are the people outside them becoming more vulnerable?
The latest road casualty statistics paint a mixed picture for road safety across Great Britain.
While fewer people lost their lives on Britain’s roads in 2025, more people suffered serious injuries. The Department for Transport reported a 4% fall in road deaths compared with 2024, yet the number of people killed or seriously injured increased by 4%.
Perhaps most strikingly, pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists accounted for more than half of all people killed or seriously injured in road collisions during 2025.
At first glance, that may not seem surprising.
Unlike motorists, vulnerable road users have little physical protection when a collision occurs. Modern vehicles benefit from increasingly sophisticated safety features, including airbags, collision warning systems and improved crash protection. A pedestrian, cyclist or motorcyclist has no such safeguards.
However, the latest figures raise some important questions about whether road safety improvements are benefiting all road users equally.
A Concerning Trend for Cyclists
The statistics reveal that serious injuries increased across all three main vulnerable road user groups.
Compared with 2024:
- Pedestrian killed or seriously injured (KSI) casualties increased by 3%.
- Motorcyclist KSIs increased by 7%.
- Pedal cyclist KSIs increased by 14%.
- Car occupant KSIs fell by 1%.
The increase among cyclists is particularly notable.
While the Department for Transport describes the overall road safety picture as mixed, it specifically highlights the rise in cyclist KSIs as a significant development in the 2025 figures.
This does not necessarily mean cycling has become less safe. Statistics alone cannot tell us why serious injuries have increased. Factors such as changing travel habits, increased cycling activity, road design, driver behaviour and demographic changes may all play a role.
Nevertheless, the numbers provide a reminder that those travelling outside a vehicle remain exposed to significant risk.
Changing Roads, Changing Risks
Our roads are not the same as they were a decade ago.
Across many towns and cities there has been greater emphasis on active travel, cycling infrastructure and reducing reliance on private cars. E-bikes and other forms of micromobility are also becoming increasingly common, while delivery riders have become a familiar sight in urban areas.
These developments bring many benefits, including reduced congestion, environmental advantages and improved public health.
They also mean more people are sharing road space without the protection of a vehicle.
As a result, discussions about road safety can no longer focus solely on drivers and passengers. Increasingly, attention must also be given to pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and other vulnerable road users.
Looking Beyond Vehicle Safety
The latest figures suggest that vehicle occupants continue to benefit from long-term improvements in vehicle safety. The Department for Transport notes that rates of death and serious injury among vehicle occupants have generally declined over the past two decades, reflecting improvements in vehicle design and safety technology among other factors.
That is undoubtedly positive news.
The challenge, however, is ensuring that similar progress is made for those outside the vehicle.
Whether through road design, cycling infrastructure, driver awareness, technology or policy, protecting vulnerable road users is likely to remain one of the most important road safety challenges in the years ahead.
The Challenge Ahead
Encouragingly, these issues are not being ignored.
Across Scotland, local authorities and planners are increasingly investing in active travel infrastructure, safer cycling routes, pedestrian-friendly streets and the wider concept of liveable neighbourhoods. In Glasgow alone, the Active Travel Strategy aims to make walking, wheeling and cycling the first and natural choice for everyday journeys, supported by plans for an extensive city-wide network of active travel routes and a commitment to a Vision Zero approach to road safety.
These initiatives recognise an important reality. As more people choose to walk, cycle or use other forms of active travel, road safety cannot be measured solely by what happens inside a vehicle.
The latest statistics show fewer deaths on Britain’s roads, which is undoubtedly welcome. However, they also highlight the continuing risks faced by pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, particularly given the recent rise in serious injuries among vulnerable road users.
As our roads continue to evolve, the challenge will be ensuring that infrastructure, planning and road safety measures evolve with them. Protecting vulnerable road users is not simply a transport issue. It is increasingly becoming a question of how our towns and cities are designed for everyone who uses them.
Further Reading
Department for Transport – Reported Road Casualties Great Britain: Final Results 2025
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