UK road accidents & claims, by the numbers
The headline figures on road casualties, motor insurance claims and injury compensation in the UK — pulled from official sources and summarised in plain English.
128,272
people were casualties in reported road collisions in Great Britain in 2024
29,467
were killed or seriously injured on the roads in 2024
55%
of all road casualties are car occupants — drivers and passengers
2.4m
motor insurance claims were handled by UK insurers in 2024
£11.7bn
was paid out in motor insurance claims in 2024 — a record
£4,900
was the average motor insurance claim paid in 2024, up 13% on 2023
~21,000
personal injury claims are started through the Official Injury Claim portal every month
96.5%
of injury claims through that portal involve a whiplash element
Figures are the latest available at the time of writing. Road casualty data is for Great Britain (2024); claims and payout data covers the UK.
Road accidents in Great Britain
In 2024 there were 128,272 casualties in reported road collisions in Great Britain. Of those, 29,467 were killed or seriously injured, and 1,602 people lost their lives. While the long-term trend is downward, the numbers remain substantial — and car occupants make up around 55% of all casualties, the largest single group.
Many more collisions never appear in these figures because they involve damage only, with no reported injury — which is why insurer claims data tells the fuller story.
What does it all cost?Motor insurance claims & payouts
UK insurers handled 2.4 million motor insurance claims in 2024 and paid out a record £11.7 billion. The average claim reached around £4,900, up 13% on the previous year, driven by rising repair and replacement costs. Knowing these averages helps you recognise when a settlement offer falls short.
Who actually claims?Personal injury claim volumes
Lower-value motor injury claims run through the government's Official Injury Claim portal. In early 2025 around 21,000 claims were started every month, and 96.5% involved a whiplash element — confirming that whiplash and soft-tissue injuries remain the most common outcome of a road collision.
Where these figures come from
- Department for Transport — Reported road casualties Great Britain, annual report 2024
- Association of British Insurers — Motor claims hit record £11.7 billion in 2024
- Official Injury Claim — quarterly claims data (Jan–Mar 2025)
- The Whiplash Injury (Amendment) Regulations 2025 (in force 31 May 2025)
This page is for general information and isn't legal or financial advice. Figures are summarised from the official sources listed above.
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