Reported road casualties in Great Britain: older driver factsheet, 2024
Published 25 September 2025
© Crown copyright 2025
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-older-and-younger-driver-factsheets-2024/reported-road-casualties-in-great-britain-older-driver-factsheet-2024
This factsheet gives an overview and key statistics on older car drivers involved in road collisions in Great Britain as reported by the police, including the main trends and characteristics of collisions. Older car drivers are a notable set of road users because of the ageing population and also the increase in older driving licence holders.
This factsheet defines an older driver as someone aged over 70 years old.
1. Things you need to to know
This factsheet presents trends from 2004 onwards. However, grouped data for years from 2020 to 2024 is used widely in order to allow sufficiently robust analysis by age, sex and other variables. Comparisons are made between collisions involving older drivers and those involving drivers of other ages, though there will be some overlap as a collision could involve car drivers of different ages.
1.1 Severity adjustment
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.
1.2 Impact of coronavirus (COVID-19)
Recent trends in reported road casualties have begun to normalise after the national restrictions implemented from March 2020 onwards following the COVID-19 pandemic, including periods of lockdown during 2021. Many of the trends discussed during this factsheet may see the impact of COVID-19 restrictions. More details about the coronavirus restrictions can be found in Coronavirus: a history of English lockdown laws (England only).
2. Main findings
Overall, in 2024, around a quarter of all car drivers killed were older drivers, with 11% of all casualties in car collisions being in collisions involving older drivers.
Between 2004 and 2024:
-
Killed or seriously injured (KSI) casualties from a collision involving at least one older car driver increased from 3,067 to 3,300, a rise of 8%
-
KSI casualties in collisions involving other aged car drivers decreased from 36,825 to 20,273, a fall of 45%
Averaged over the period 2020 to 2024:
-
57% of KSI casualties from a collision involving at least one older car driver were male. This compares to 66% for KSI casualties from collisions involving other aged car drivers
-
27% of KSI casualties from a collision involving at least one older car driver were male and aged over 70 years old
-
KSI casualties from a collision involving at least one older car driver peak between 10am and 4pm
-
53% of KSI casualties from older car driver collisions occurred on roads in rural areas, compared to 42% for other aged car drivers
-
54% of KSI casualties from older car driver collisions occurred not at junction or within 20 metres, compared to 54% of other aged car driver collisions
-
the most common road safety factor allocated to vehicles driven by an older car driver involved in fatal or serious collisions (FSC) was ‘ineffective observation by the driver’ followed by ‘driver or rider travelling too fast for conditions (including loss of control or swerving)’
3. Introduction
3.1 Car driver casualty rates
Chart 1 shows KSI car driver casualties per billion miles driven, by age and sex. There is an increased casualty rate for those aged over 70 years old, particularly for those aged over 80 years old.
Chart 1: KSI car driver casualties per billion miles driven, by age and sex, Great Britain:2024
3.2 Older car drivers casualties by severity
Overall older car drivers accounted for around 10% of all casualties in collisions involving cars in 2024, though this proportion increases with casualty severity (as older drivers are more likely to be killed in collisions in which they are injured than drivers of other ages). In this factsheet we focus largely on KSI casualties to show patterns as the number of fatalities is relatively small.
Table 1 shows that in 2024, 24% of all car driver fatalities were older car drivers.
Table 2 shows that in 2024, 19% of all fatalities from a collision involving at least one older car driver.
Table 1: Reported driver casualties by severity, older car driver casualties compared to all car driver casualties, Great Britain: 2024
| Killed | Serious | Slight | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Older car driver | 115 | 1,109 | 3,445 | 4,669 |
| All car drivers | 479 | 7,418 | 40,883 | 48,780 |
| Percentage older car drivers | 24 | 15 | 8 | 10 |
Table 2: Reported casualties by severity, from collisions involving an older car driver compared to collisions involving all car drivers, Great Britain: 2024
| Killed | Serious | Slight | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| From collisions involving an older car driver | 239 | 3,061 | 9,730 | 13,030 |
| From collisions involving all car drivers | 1,251 | 22,860 | 88,978 | 113,089 |
| Percentage involving older car drivers | 19 | 13 | 11 | 12 |
4. Casualties from a collision involving at least one older car driver
4.1 Casualties by type
Chart 2 and Table 3 show KSI casualties from a collision involving at least one older car driver, by casualty type which includes:
- the older driver themselves
- the passengers of the cars driven by older drivers
- all other casualties (including drivers and passenger of other vehicles, or road users)
There was a small increase in casualty numbers in all casualty types until the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. COVID-19 caused a drop in casualty numbers however, the increase seen recently shows casualty numbers beginning to return to pre-pandemic levels.
Since 2004 KSI casualties from a collision involving at least one older car driver increased from 3,067 to 3,300 in 2024. However, when comparing 2024 to 2023 there has been a decrease of 4%.
During 2024, there were:
- 1,224 KSI older car driver casualties, a decrease of 3% compared to 2023
- 444 passenger KSI casualties from a collision involving at least one older car driver, a decrease of 6% compared to 2023
Chart 2: Reported KSI casualties from collisions involving at least one older car driver by casualty type, Great Britain: 2004 to 2024
Table 3: Reported KSI casualties by casualty type from collisions involving at least one older car driver, Great Britain: 2004 to 2024
| Year | All casualties | Passengers of older car drivers | Older car drivers | Other casualties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 3,067 | 546 | 1,116 | 1,405 |
| 2005 | 2,993 | 531 | 1,073 | 1,389 |
| 2006 | 2,856 | 442 | 1,037 | 1,377 |
| 2007 | 2,826 | 447 | 963 | 1,416 |
| 2008 | 2,790 | 419 | 992 | 1,379 |
| 2009 | 2,841 | 425 | 993 | 1,424 |
| 2010 | 2,654 | 431 | 966 | 1,257 |
| 2011 | 3,042 | 441 | 1,010 | 1,591 |
| 2012 | 2,966 | 442 | 1,077 | 1,448 |
| 2013 | 3,036 | 410 | 1,051 | 1,575 |
| 2014 | 3,264 | 447 | 1,149 | 1,668 |
| 2015 | 3,124 | 445 | 1,144 | 1,535 |
| 2016 | 3,244 | 489 | 1,106 | 1,649 |
| 2017 | 3,269 | 489 | 1,106 | 1,674 |
| 2018 | 3,509 | 489 | 1,264 | 1,757 |
| 2019 | 3,394 | 481 | 1,203 | 1,709 |
| 2020 | 2,137 | 259 | 769 | 1,109 |
| 2021 | 2,602 | 332 | 925 | 1,344 |
| 2022 | 3,241 | 462 | 1,175 | 1,604 |
| 2023 | 3,443 | 474 | 1,256 | 1,713 |
| 2024 | 3,300 | 444 | 1,224 | 1,632 |
Table 4 shows the proportion of each casualty type for the total KSI casualties from a collision involving at least one older car driver. This shows how the proportion of casualties being the passenger of the car has fallen, and the proportion of the casualty being the driver remained stable, whereas the proportion of other casualties has increased since 2004.
For 2024, older car driver driver casualties accounted for 37%, of all KSI casualties from a collision involving at least one older car driver. By comparison, for collisions involving other aged car drivers, driver casualties accounted for 33% of all KSI casualties in 2024 .
For 2024, passenger casualties accounted for 13%, of all KSI casualties from a collision involving at least one older car driver. By comparison, for collisions involving other aged car drivers, passenger KSI casualties accounted for 16% of all KSI casualties in 2024.
Table 4: Proportion of all KSI casualties from collisions involving at least one older car driver by casualty type, Great Britain
| Year | Passengers of older car drivers | Older car drivers | Other casualties |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 18 | 36 | 46 |
| 2014 | 14 | 35 | 51 |
| 2023 | 14 | 36 | 50 |
| 2024 | 13 | 37 | 49 |
5. Demographics
5.1 Sex and age
Chart 3 and Table 5 show the sex and age breakdown of KSI casualties from a collision involving at least one older car driver between 2020 and 2024.
Between 2020 and 2024, 57% of KSI casualties from a collision involving at least one older car driver were male and 43% were female. This compares to 66% of males and 33% of females for KSI casualties from collisions involving other aged car drivers.
27% of KSI casualties from a collision involving at least one older car driver were male and over 70 years old. 26% of casualties were female and over 70 years old.
Chart 3: Percentage of KSI casualties from collisions involving at least one older car driver, by sex and age, Great Britain: 2020 to 2024
Table 5: Percentage of KSI casualties from collisions involving at least one older car driver, by sex and age, Great Britain: 2020 to 2024
| Age | Female | Male |
|---|---|---|
| all ages | 43% | 57% |
| 0 to 16 | 2% | 3% |
| 17 to 24 | 2% | 5% |
| 25 to 49 | 6% | 12% |
| 50 to 69 | 7% | 10% |
| 70 and over | 26% | 27% |
6. Time of day
Table 6 shows the total KSI casualties from a collision involving at least one older car driver by hour of day and day of the week. The totals for the weekdays (Monday to Friday) have been averaged. KSI casualties from a collision involving at least one older car driver have a peak on weekdays from 10am to 4pm. On the weekends there is a peak between 11am and 4pm, however, overall casualty numbers at the weekend are lower than during the week.
Table 6: Total KSI casualties from a collision involving at least one older car driver by hour of the day and day of the week, between 2020 and 2024, Great Britain. (Monday to Friday is the average of the total on each of those days).
| Hour of day | Monday to Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00 | 5 | 16 | 15 |
| 01 | 2 | 10 | 5 |
| 02 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| 03 | 2 | 6 | 3 |
| 04 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 05 | 4 | 7 | 8 |
| 06 | 16 | 9 | 8 |
| 07 | 37 | 19 | 17 |
| 08 | 71 | 50 | 35 |
| 09 | 125 | 115 | 56 |
| 10 | 174 | 180 | 133 |
| 11 | 212 | 201 | 156 |
| 12 | 209 | 211 | 187 |
| 13 | 205 | 164 | 189 |
| 14 | 229 | 199 | 202 |
| 15 | 267 | 182 | 177 |
| 16 | 214 | 157 | 152 |
| 17 | 166 | 163 | 88 |
| 18 | 101 | 92 | 102 |
| 19 | 64 | 59 | 52 |
| 20 | 33 | 46 | 45 |
| 21 | 32 | 29 | 37 |
| 22 | 27 | 32 | 18 |
| 23 | 11 | 24 | 11 |
Chart 4 puts these KSI casualty numbers into context by displaying them as a proportion of all KSI casualties from collisions involving any car driver.
KSIs casualties from a collision involving at least one older car driver make up a much higher proportion of all KSI casualties during the day, specifically between 10am and 3pm. It is worth noting that the proportion of casualties are very low in the early hours of the morning and late in the evening.
Chart 4: Proportion of KSI casualties from collisions involving at least one older car driver out of all collisions involving a car driver by hour of day and day of week, Great Britain: 2020 to 2024
7. Type of road
Chart 5 looks at the where the collisions according to rural or urban road classification, involving at least one older car driver, occur.
Between 2020 and 2024 53% of KSIs in collisions involving at least one older car driver occurred on Roads in rural areas and 44% occurred on roads in urban areas.
In comparison for other aged car drivers 42% of KSIs occurred on Roads in rural areas and 54% occurred on roads in urban areas.
Chart 5: Percentage of KSI casualties from collisions involving at least one older car driver and from collisions involving at least one other aged car driver, by urban rural classification, Great Britain: 2020 to 2024
Roads in urban areas roads are those within an area of population of 10,000 or more. The definition is based on the 2001 Communities and Local Government definition of Urban Settlements. Roads outside these areas will be classified as roads in rural areas. More information is available in the user guide to urban and rural area definitions.
8. Collision circumstances
8.1 Vehicle movement on the road
Table 7 displays the percentage of KSIs in collisions involving at least one older car driver which occur at different junction types.
Between 2020 and 2024 54% of KSIs in older car driver collisions occurred not at junction or within 20 metres. This is similar to collisions involving other aged car drivers where 54% of KSIs in collisions occurred not at junction or within 20 metres.
Table 7: Percentage of KSI casualties from collisions involving at least one older car driver by severity and junction detail where the collision occurred, Great Britain: 2020 to 2024
| Junction | Older car drivers | Other car drivers |
|---|---|---|
| Not at or within 20 metres of junction | 54 | 54 |
| T or staggered junction | 28 | 26 |
| Crossroads | 9 | 9 |
| Other junction | 5 | 6 |
| Using private drive or entrance | 3 | 2 |
| Unknown | 1 | 1 |
| Junction with more than four arms (not roundabout) | 1 | 1 |
8.2 Single car collisions
Chart 6 shows older car driver KSI casualties from single and multiple vehicle collisions by casualty type, with a broadly similar trend for each group.
In 2024, 22% of older car driver KSI casualties were in single vehicle collisions.
Chart 6: KSI older car driver casualties from single and multi vehicle collisions Great Britain: 2004 to 2024
9. Factors contributing to collisions
9.1 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. As the majority of the data has still been collected as CFs the analysis in this section is based only on data collected as CFs and then converted to RSFs. 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 vehicle groups. A maximum of 6 factors can be recorded for each collision.
Table 8 shows the 10 most common road safety factors that have been allocated to older car drivers that were involved in FSCs (between 2020 and 2024). This is displayed as a proportion of all vehicles driven by older car drivers. These proportions are contrasted to the equivalent figures for vehicles driven by other aged car drivers.
The most common road safety factors assigned to both older car drivers and other car drivers was ‘ineffective observation by the driver’.
However, older car drivers were more likely to have factors relating to ‘illness or disability’ than other car drivers involved in collisions.
Table 8: Percentage of cars in FSCs driven by a older car driver with specific road safety factors assigned, compared to the equivalent percentage for other aged car drivers, Great Britain: 2020 to 2024
| Road Safety Factor | Older car drivers | Other car drivers |
|---|---|---|
| Ineffective observation by the driver | 33 | 23 |
| Driver or rider travelling too fast for conditions (including loss of control or swerving) | 12 | 10 |
| Illness or disability | 11 | 2 |
| Driver or rider being aggressive or dangerous or reckless | 10 | 14 |
| Driver or rider overshot junction or poor turn or manoeuvre | 9 | 6 |
| Driver or rider vision affected by adverse weather or dazzling sun | 5 | 3 |
| Driver or rider illegal turn or direction of travel or failed to comply with traffic sign or signal | 4 | 3 |
| Distraction to driver or rider from inside or outside or on vehicle | 3 | 3 |
| Driver or rider inexperienced or learner | 3 | 3 |
| Not mapped to specific RSF | 2 | 1 |
10. Further information
Further information on road collisions and casualties can be found in Reported Road Casualties in Great Britain.
Published tables on casualties in reported road collisions are available.
Non-fatal casualties since 2016 have been affected by a large number of police forces changing their reporting systems which has had a large impact on the classification of injuries recorded. Further details of the adjustment for this are in the 2024 annual report.
Road collisions and safety statistics guidance including accompanying notes and definitions are available.
Personal travel statistics within Great Britain covering English residents, including mileage by car drivers of different ages, is available from the National Travel Survey.
11. 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.
You will find your print and save options in your browser’s menu. You may also have other options available on your device. Tablets and mobile device instructions will be specific to the make and model of the device.
12. 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.
13. Contact details
Road safety statistics
Email roadacc.stats@dft.gov.uk