Accredited official statistics

Reported road casualties Great Britain: child casualty factsheet, 2025

Published 24 September 2026

This factsheet defines a child as someone aged between 0 and 15.

1. Main findings

Overall, in 2025:

• 2,432 children were killed or seriously injured (KSI) on roads in Great Britain.
• 8% of KSI casualties were children, while 3% of fatalities were children.

In the 5 years between 2021 and 2025:

• 68% of child KSI casualties were male, similar to the proportion among casualties aged 16 and over.

• pedestrians accounted for 55% of child KSI casualties.

• 46% of weekday child KSI casualties occurred between 3pm and 5:59pm, with 12% occurring between 8am and 8:59am.

• child KSI casualties from the most deprived communities were almost 6 times higher than the least deprived communities.

• around three quarters of collisions involving a child KSI casualty occurred on roads in urban areas, compared to 55% of casualties aged 19 and over on urban roads.

• for children aged 6 to 11, KSI casualties were most concentrated close to schools, with 70% occurring within 500 metres of an age-appropriate school (including those at weekends and in holidays).

Between 2024 and 2025, over half of fatal or serious collisions (FSC) involving a child pedestrian casualty had the road safety factor (RSF) ‘pedestrian careless or in a hurry’ attributed to an injured pedestrian.

2. Overall numbers and trends

The Road Safety Strategy includes a target to reduce child KSI casualties by 70% by 2035, using the 2022 to 2024 average as the baseline.

Table 1 shows that children accounted for 41 fatalities, 2,391 serious injuries and 9,147 slight injuries in 2025.

In 2025, 2,432 children were killed or seriously injured on roads in Great Britain, representing 8% of all KSI casualties. Children accounted for a smaller proportion of road fatalities, at 3%.

Table 1: Casualties, by severity and age group, Great Britain: 2025

Age group	Killed	Serious	Slight	KSI
15 and under	41	2,391	9,147	2,432
16 and over	1,497	25,771	86,295	27,268
Total	1,538	28,162	95,442	29,700
% child casualties	3	8	10	8

While child casualties represent a relatively small share of all road fatalities, the Road Safety Strategy includes a target to reduce child KSI casualties by 70% by 2035 compared with the 2022 to 2024 baseline. Chart 1 shows the historical trend in child KSIs alongside the baseline and the 2035 target.

Chart 1: Child KSI casualties compared to the road safety strategy baselines and targets, Great Britain: 2004 to 2025

3. Demographics

3.1 Age and sex

Overall, most child casualties are male. In 2025, 68% of child KSI casualties were male.

The number of child KSI casualties generally increased with age in 2025 (Chart 2). Casualties were comparatively low among younger children before rising through the later primary school years and early adolescence. Children aged 12 to 15 accounted for almost half of all child KSI casualties.

The difference between males and females also became more pronounced with age. At younger ages, male and female KSI casualty numbers were more similar, but males accounted for a larger share of casualties in the teenage years.

Chart 2: Child KSI casualties, by age and sex, Great Britain: 2025

3.2 Deprivation

These statistics have been calculated using the 2019 English indices of deprivation.

Between 2021 and 2025, children living in the most deprived areas of England accounted for around 23% of all child KSI casualties, compared with only 4% of child KSI casualties living in the least deprived areas (Chart 3).

This means child casualties from the most deprived communities were almost 6 times higher than the least deprived communities.

The relationship between deprivation and KSI casualties is much stronger for children than for adults. For adults aged 19 and over, 12% of KSI casualties occurred to people living in the most deprived decile, while 7% occurred to people living in the least deprived decile.

Chart 3: Percentage of KSI casualties by home postcode deprivation decile and age group, England: 2021 to 2025

4. Road user type

4.1 Road user type by age group

Road user type varies by age group among child KSI casualties. Between 2021 and 2025, pedestrians accounted for the largest number of child KSI casualties in each age group, while pedal cyclist casualties were more common among older children aged 12 to 15 than among younger age groups.

Chart 4: Child KSI casualties by age group and road user type, Great Britain: 2021 to 2025

4.2 Road user type by sex

Male children accounted for a higher proportion of child KSI casualties than girls across all three major road user groups. The difference was most pronounced among pedal cyclists, where males accounted for 89% of child KSI casualties between 2021 and 2025.

Among pedestrians, male children accounted for 62% of child KSI casualties. The gender split was much more even among car occupants, where male children accounted for 52% of child KSI casualties.

Chart 5: Percentage of child KSI casualties by road user type and sex, Great Britain: 2021 to 2025

4.3 Road user type over time

Pedestrians accounted for half of child KSI casualties in 2025. However, the proportion of child KSIs which were pedestrians has fallen over the last decade, from 64% in 2015 to 50% in 2025 (Chart 6).

Child car occupants represented the second largest group, accounting for 20% of child KSI casualties in 2025. Pedal cyclists accounted for 17% of child KSI casualties.

Chart 6: Proportion of child KSI casualties by road user type, Great Britain: 2015 to 2025

4.4 Deprivation by road user type

Children living in the most deprived areas are disproportionately represented in serious road casualties, regardless of road user type.

Within England, around a quarter of child pedestrian KSIs (23%) and pedal cyclist KSIs (24%) occurred among children living in the most deprived decile, compared with around a fifth of child car occupant KSIs (20%).

In contrast, children from the least deprived decile accounted for just 4% of pedestrian KSIs, 5% of pedal cyclist KSIs and 5% of car occupant KSIs.

Chart 7: Percentage of child KSI casualties by home postcode deprivation decile and road user type, England: 2021 to 2025

5. When do child casualties occur

Around three quarters of child KSI casualties happen on weekdays.

On weekdays, casualties were concentrated around school travel periods, with a smaller morning peak between 8am and 8:59am and a larger afternoon peak from 3pm to 5:59pm. 46% of weekday child KSIs occurred between 3pm and 5:59pm, while 12% occurred between 8am and 8:59am (Chart 8).

The weekend pattern is different - child KSI casualties are more evenly spread through the day, rising through the late morning and peaking in the afternoon. The highest proportion was recorded between 3pm and 5:59pm, accounting for 30% of child weekend KSIs in 2025.

Chart 8: Percentage of child KSIs by day of week, Great Britain: 2021 to 2025

6. Where do child casualties occur

6.1 Urban and rural roads

Chart 9 looks at where child casualties occur, according to rural and urban road classification.

Between 2021 and 2025, around three quarters of collisions involving a child KSI casualty occurred on roads in urban areas, while 23% occurred on roads in rural areas.

In comparison, for KSI casualties aged 19 and over, 55% of collisions occurred on urban roads.

Chart 9: Percentage of child KSI casualties by road type and age group, Great Britain 2021 to 2025

6.2 Distance from schools

The figures in this section consider the distance between child KSI casualty locations and the nearest school. Figures include all child KSI casualties, not just those travelling to or from school, and include casualties occurring during weekends and school holiday periods.

School location data were obtained from the Department for Education’s Get Information About Schools (GIAS) dataset. School locations are represented using the latitude and longitude coordinates recorded in that dataset. Distances were calculated as straight-line distances between the recorded location of each child KSI casualty and the nearest open age-appropriate school in England.

A school was considered age-appropriate where the child’s age fell within the school’s statutory age range. The analysis measures proximity to the nearest age-appropriate school and does not identify whether the child attended that school. Distances were measured as straight-line distances rather than along the road network and should therefore be interpreted as an indication of proximity rather than actual travel distance.

The distance between a location of a child KSI casualty and the nearest age-appropriate school varies by age.

Among children aged 6 to 11, 70% of KSI casualties occurred within 500 metres of an age-appropriate school. The equivalent proportion for children aged 12 to 15 was 36%. This reflects the fact that there are lower numbers of secondary schools.

Older child KSI casualties were more likely to occur further from an age-appropriate school. Among children aged 12 to 15, 15% of KSI casualties occurred more than 1,500 metres from an age-appropriate school, compared with 6% among children aged 6 to 11.

Chart 10: Percentage of child KSI casualties by distance to the nearest age-appropriate school and age group, England: 2025

Distance from schools by road user type

Pedestrians accounted for the majority of child KSI casualties close to age-appropriate schools. Within 250 metres of an age-appropriate school, pedestrians accounted for 71% of child KSI casualties. This proportion decreased with distance, falling to 23% for child KSI casualties more than 1500 metres from an age appropriate school.

The opposite pattern can be seen for child car occupants. Within 250 metres of a school, 8% of child KSI casualties were car occupants, compared with 45% among child KSI casualties more than 1,500 metres from a school.

Chart 11: Percentage of child KSI casualties by distance to the nearest age-appropriate school and road user type, England: 2025

Distance from schools and deprivation

Child KSI casualties among children living in the most deprived areas were more concentrated close to age-appropriate schools. In the most deprived 20% of areas, 55% of child KSI casualties occurred within 500 metres of an age-appropriate school, compared with 41% in the least deprived 20% of areas.

Conversely, 23% of child KSI casualties in the least deprived areas occurred more than 1,500 metres from a school, compared with 9% in the most deprived areas.

Chart 12: Percentage of child KSI casualties by distance to the nearest age-appropriate school and IMD decile, England: 2021 to 2025

7. Factors contributing to casualties

7.1 Road safety factors

The most recent STATS19 review recommended that contributory factors (CFs) be replaced with a new system of road safety factors (RSFs). This change in system has resulted in a step change in which factors for the portion of the data that are recorded in the new system. The analysis in this section is based only on data collected using the road safety factor (RSF) system. Factors originally recorded as contributory factors (CFs) and subsequently converted to RSFs have been excluded. Full analysis of the change can be found in our guide to road safety factors.

Road safety factors provide an insight into how and why collisions occur. The factors are largely subjective as they reflect the opinion of the reporting police officer. They are assigned quickly at the occurrence of the collision and often without extensive investigations and so should be interpreted with caution. They are likely to be affected in part by preconceptions police officers have of certain road users. A maximum of 6 factors can be recorded for each collision.

Chart 13 shows how the percentage of fatal and serious collisions (FSCs) involving at least one child casualty has changed over the last decade.

In 2025, behaviour or inexperience factors were the most commonly recorded aggregated road safety factor group in FSC involving a child casualty. These factors were recorded in 65% of FSC involving a child casualty.

Chart 13: Percentage of fatal and serious collisions involving a child casualty by road safety factor group, 2015 to 2025

Among fatal or serious collisions involving a child pedestrian casualty in 2024 and 2025, the most commonly recorded RSFs included pedestrian-related factors and driver or vehicle factors. ‘Pedestrian careless or in a hurry’ was recorded in 57% of these collisions.

The most common driver or vehicle factor was ‘ineffective observation by either the driver or rider’, recorded in 27% of FSCs involving a child pedestrian casualty

Table 2: Percentage of road safety factors associated with casualties and drivers, by FSCs involving a child pedestrian casualty and all pedestrian FSCs, Great Britain: 2024 to 2025

Participant type	Road safety factor	Child FSC (%)	All FSC (%)
Casualty factors	Pedestrian careless or in a hurry	57	36
Driver factors	Ineffective observation by either the driver or rider or pedestrian	27	41
Casualty factors	Ineffective observation by either the driver or rider or pedestrian	25	22
Casualty factors	Pedestrian showing risk taking behaviour in carriageway	22	13
Casualty factors	Incorrect use of crossing facility by person crossing the road	21	19
Casualty factors	Pedestrian or cyclist or equestrian hard to see	19	14
Driver factors	Driver or rider view obscured by stationary or parked vehicles	15	7
Driver factors	Driver or rider exceeding speed limit	8	9
Driver factors	Driver or rider being aggressive or dangerous or reckless	6	10
Driver factors	Driver or rider travelling too fast for conditions (including loss of control or swerving)	5	6
Driver factors	Pedestrian or cyclist or equestrian hard to see	5	4
Driver factors	Distraction to driver or rider from inside or outside or on vehicle	5	9
Driver factors	Driver or rider passing too close to another road user or pedestrian	5	8

7.2 Seatbelt non-wearing

Table 3 shows the percentage breakdown of seatbelts not worn by passengers in reported KSI casualties by age group. Among KSI casualties, children aged 12 to 15 were equally as likely as adults aged 19 and over to be recorded as not wearing a seatbelt as a passenger, while children aged 11 and below are more likely to be wearing a seatbelt.

Age band	Seatbelt not worn (%)
0 to 5	13
6 to 11	11
12 to 15	18
16 to 18	24
19+	18

8. About this data

Detailed information about the data used in this chapter, including its strengths and limitations, can be found in the guidance pages.

8.1 STATS19 data

The statistics in this publication are based on data collected through the STATS19 system, which records personal injury road collisions on public roads in Great Britain. STATS19 data are reported to the Department for Transport by police forces using a common national specification, allowing consistent analysis across time and geography. All collisions reported by the police within 30 days and that occurred on a public highway involving at least one motor vehicle, horse rider or pedal cyclist, and where at least one person was injured, are included in these statistics.

STATS19 is the primary source used to understand long-term trends in road collisions and casualties, and to monitor and evaluate road safety policies and interventions. Its standardised approach enables comparison at local, regional and national level, and provides a long-running time series underpinning road safety analysis.

There is no obligation for people to report all personal injury collisions to the police, and not all collisions are reported to the police, particularly those involving only slight injuries, meaning some types of incidents are under recorded. Therefore these figures do not represent the full range of collisions or casualties in Great Britain.

The quality and completeness of the data can also vary, especially for variables based on officer judgement at the scene. Changes to data collection systems, guidance or reporting practices over time may also affect comparability of trends. For example, recent updates to the STATS19 specification (including the introduction of new variables) may lead to discontinuities in some data series.

8.2 Injury severity reporting

The figures in this release for injured casualties are based on adjusting figures reported by the police to take account of changes in the reporting of injury severity by some police forces in recent years. These adjusted figures can reliably be used to compare trends over time across the country. More details can be found in our severity adjustments guidance.

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11. Contact details

Road safety statistics

Email roadacc.stats@dft.gov.uk

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