Guidance

Road safety statistics: user engagement and feedback

Updated 30 May 2024

Introduction

In line with the requirements of the Code of Practice for Statistics, the department regularly seeks feedback from users of its statistics.  The results of a user engagement exercise carried out between December 2023 and February 2024 are presented here.  A summary of the uses and users of different parts of the published statistics is provided as well as some suggested areas to build on what is currently published.

This exercise involved analysis of Google Analytics data, a user survey completed by over 70 respondents, 9 in-depth interviews with different types of users as well as capturing ad-hoc feedback that has been received.  This includes feedback from the Office for Statistics Regulation as part of a rapid review of one element of the casualty statistics.

While the road safety statistics serve a range of users, and generally meet their needs in some way, inevitably with such a range of users and uses, there are many suggestions which we are unable to address with current resources.  This document records these areas of unmet need, and we will continue to consider what can be done to address them in future.

Users of road safety statistics

Who are our users

The road safety statistics serve a wide range of users, ranging from government organizations to campaign groups and from analysis professionals to individuals looking for local data. A breakdown of the users who responded to the survey is provided in table 1 below:

Table 1: Survey respondents

User Group	Percent of Respondents
Unaffiliated Individual	5.6%
Researcher or Academic	8.3%
Transport Organisations or Consultants	16.7%
Policy Professionals	1.4%
Campaign Groups	2.8%
Local Government	50.0%
Other	15.3%

The results in the table above show that we received feedback from a wide range of our user base. It also highlights that there is significant interest in these statistics from local government. Users provided a wide range of reasons for their interest in the statistics, several key themes included:

• a desire to reduce avoidable injuries and deaths

• conducting research into road safety

• statutory obligations around road safety

• a personal interest in local road safety issues

• to help target investment and education

Users also highlighted a number of different concerns around what the biggest safety concerns on UK roads are. The main themes of these were:

• public attitudes and behaviours

• vulnerable road users

• fatal 4 (seatbelts, mobile phones, impaired drivers, and speed reduction)

• road safety data quality

• recent lack of progress in road safety

• local, national or international targets

• road infrastructure

• funding

What do users access

Road safety statistics are published in several different formats, including statistical publications, factsheets, spreadsheet tables, dashboards and as record level open data. The products utilised by the survey respondents are shown in table 2.

Table 2: Products used by survey respondents

Product	Daily to weekly	Once a month	Once every few months	Once a year	Less than once a year	Never	Total
Reports or Factsheets	9.4%	20.3%	31.3%	18.8%	7.8%	12.5%	100%
Spreadsheet Tables	9.4%	20.3%	39.1%	9.4%	7.8%	14.1%	100%
Data Download Tool	9.4%	18.8%	20.3%	18.8%	6.3%	26.6%	100%
Record Level Open Data	6.3%	9.4%	29.7%	10.9%	9.4%	34.4%	100%
PowerBI Dashboard	4.7%	7.8%	25.0%	6.3%	9.4%	46.9%	100%
Record Level Licensed Data	3.1%	4.7%	4.7%	7.8%	4.7%	75.0%	100%
At least one of the products	17.2%	31.3%	29.7%	10.9%	3.1%	7.8%	100%

In addition to the survey data, google analytics data was collected to show which parts of the statistical publication were accessed most frequently by users.

Table 3: Google analytics data for views in 2023

Item	Number of unique page views
Final annual report	11,869
Provisional  year-end report	9,903
Provisional mid-year report	5,311
Drink Drive Publication	1,581
Drug Driving Publication	1,234
Deprivation Factsheet	821
Road User Risk Factsheet	843
Injury Severity Factsheet	334
E-Scooter Factsheet	2,132
Motorcycle Factsheet	982
Pedal Cycle Factsheet	4,851
Pedestrian Factsheet	2,696
Driver Age Factsheet - Old	220
Driver Age Factsheet - Young	1,930
Main Data Tables	18,214
Provisional Data Tables	1,892
Drink Drive Tables	4,439
Index Table	1,841

Tables 2 and 3 show that the majority of users use the published reports and spreadsheet to access the data, with a reasonable number also making regular use of either the download tool or the record level open data. In general users seem to access the final “Reported road casualties Great Britain, annual report” more frequently than the provisional reports or the factsheets. Detailed analysis of the factsheet analytics shows that they have high levels of interest for a period following their initial publication with this tailing off after around 12 months.

User feedback

Table 4: How easy is it to find the data or information that you are seeking from Department for Transport’s road safety statistics?

Item	Very Easy	Easy	Difficult	Very Difficult	Total
Spreadsheet Tables	11.1%	48.6%	26.4%	13.9%	100%

Published reports and factsheets

Each year multiple statistical publications are produced summarising the national picture on road safety as well as factsheets on specific user groups or issues. These include:

• E-scooters

• collision factors, risk and outcomes

• road user risk

• injury severity and type of injury

• pedal cyclists

• motorcyclists

• pedestrians

• older and younger drivers

• deprivation

Overall users reported that these met their needs for data well, of the 50 respondents who used one or more of the publications and factsheets the majority (74%) reported that all of the reports they use at least partially meet their needs.

Reports

There are 3 publications released each year, a final annual report in September with a provisional annual report in May and a mid-year provisional in November. Users generally reported that these met their needs well, with 91.5% of survey respondents saying that the final annual report either partially or completely met their needs, and 88.4% saying the same of the provisional reports. For the provisional reports a majority of users (62.8%) stated that it only partially met their needs.

Factsheets

Levels of user satisfaction and use of the factsheets can be found in table 5 below:

Table 5: Surveyed use of factsheets

Factsheet	Completely meets my needs	Partially meets my needs	Doesn’t meet my needs	I don’t use	Total
E-scooters	15.4%	38.5%	15.4%	30.8%	100%
Collision factors, risk and outcomes	26.9%	48.1%	11.5%	13.5%	100%
Road user risk	23.5%	47.1%	7.8%	21.6%	100%
Injury severity and type of injury	32.7%	38.5%	11.5%	17.3%	100%
Pedal cyclists	29.4%	43.1%	9.8%	17.6%	100%
Motorcyclists	30.8%	34.6%	13.5%	21.2%	100%
Pedestrians	32.7%	40.4%	9.6%	17.3%	100%
Older and younger drivers	26.9%	40.4%	7.7%	25.0%	100%
Deprivation	13.7%	43.1%	7.8%	35.3%	100%

The results in table 5 show that users a generally fairly satisfied with what is provided in the fact sheets, with few users stating that they do not meet their needs. However there are varying levels of use for the factsheets with as high as 35% of users stating that they do not use some of the factsheets. This is backed up by the google analytics data where factsheet use is generally lower than the use of the main reports or the spreadsheet tables.

Users also suggested that the following topics could be covered:

• further breakdowns by vehicle type (for example electric cars)

• more comparisons, internation and local

• relative levels of risk for different road users

Spreadsheet tables

Alongside the reports 42 spreadsheet tables are regularly provided (25 for the annual publication, 6 for the provisional, and 11 for drink driving). These provide different breakdowns of the data. Google analytics data shows that these are well accessed, with the main data tables being the most used output included in the analysis (table 6). It is notable that there are relatively few views on the provisional tables compared to the final or drink drive tables.

Table 6: Google analytics data for spreadsheet views in 2023

Item	Number of unique page views
Main Data Tables	18,214
Provisional Data Tables	1,892
Drink Drive Tables	4,439
Index Table	1,841

Users were asked about how easy it was to find data in the spreadsheet tables and how well they met their need in the survey. The responses to these questions are shown in table 7 and 8 respectively.

Table 7: How easy is it to use the spreadsheet tables?

Item	Very Easy	Easy	Difficult	Very Difficult	Total
Spreadsheet Tables	21.2%	51.9%	21.2%	5.8%	100%

Table 8: How well do the spreadsheet tables meet your needs?

Item	Completely meets my needs	Partially meets my needs	Doesn’t meet my needs	Total
Spreadsheet Tables	36.5%	57.7%	5.8%	100%

Tables 7 and 8 show that there is a high level of satisfaction with the spreadsheet tables with most users finding them easy to access and stating that they provide them with access to the data they need. In terms of problems the tables users mentioned:

• difficulties navigating .gov page to find the correct table

• challenges linking data between tables

• lack of familiarity with the spreadsheet formatting

Users highlighted that they would be interested in more detail on the following topics in the spreadsheet tables:

• relative levels of risk for different road users

• more local data

• more detail on collision circumstances (for example road environment)

Other way of accessing the data

Data download tool

The data download tool provides a method for users to access to custom aggregated extracts of the raw data. Users generally found this useful with 90% of surveyed users stating that it at least partially met their needs and 48.5% using it at least once every few months.

Users suggested the following potential improvements to the tool:

• provide adjusted injury severity information

• allow more detail to be selected

• access via an API

Record level data

In addition to the published tables and reports it is also possible to access record level data. An open data product is available freely for download and a licensed product available upon request. The licensed product contains personally identifiable information and is only available to users who meet the appropriate security requirements. Of the surveyed users 65.6% had at some point used the open data and only 25% had used the licensed data.

Users reported choosing these data sources for a range of purposes including:

• calculating local and national comparisons for a given area

• detailed research into road safety

• to get access the most detailed data available

Table 9: How well does the record level data meet your needs?

Item	Completely meets my needs	Partially meets my needs	Doesn’t meet my needs	Total
Open Data	27.6%	62.1%	10.3%	100%
Licensed Data	30.0%	60.0%	10.0%	100%

As shown in Table 9 users in general found that the record level data at least partially met their needs. A few possible improvements were suggested, these include:

• providing more vehicle types in the “other” category

• access via an API

Data dashboard

Access to the data is also possible through a PowerBI dashboard, this is less used than most of the other products with 46.9% of surveyed users stating that they have never used it. Of those who have used it the majority found it to be useful with over 90% stating that it at least partially met their needs. Users suggested that they would like some more detail on users and drivers in this dashboard and the option to provide more infographics.

Instructions for printing and saving

Depending on which browser you use and the type of device you use (such as a mobile or laptop) these instructions may vary.

Tablets and mobile devices normally have the option to “find in text” and “print or save” in their sharing or quick options menu of their browser, but this will vary by device model.

How to search

Select Ctrl and F on a Windows laptop or Command and F on a Mac

This will open a search box in the top right-hand corner of the page. Type the word you are looking for in the search bar and press enter.

Your browser will highlight the word, usually in yellow, wherever it appears on the page. Press enter to move to the next place it appears.

Contact details

Road safety statistics

Email roadacc.stats@dft.gov.uk