Road fatalities rose in 2024
Provisional 2024 figures released by The Department for Transport show that, while the overall total number of road casualties decreased by 3% compared to 2023 figures, fatalities increased by 1%.
The number of males killed was three times higher than the number of females, with 1204 male fatalities and 400 female.
Motorcycle fatalities rose by 5% while pedal cycle deaths decreased by 5%.
IAM RoadSmart's director of policy and standards, Nicholas Lyes, said, “It’s important that the government looks at all solutions that could reduce deaths on our roads, including the improvement of driving skills, managing in-vehicle distractions, and effective enforcement of the so-called fatal four: speeding, drink or drug driving, not wearing a seatbelt, and using a mobile phone.”
RAC spokesman, Rod Dennis, said: “Alarmingly, fatalities have crept up – led by an increase in fatal collisions involving motorcyclists. It’s also worrying to see pedestrian fatalities at their highest number since before the pandemic, and that men are still three times more likely to be killed on the roads than women.”
AA president Edmund King, said, “Every death on our roads is a tragedy, and sadly we are still losing at least four people a day. If this level of loss was experienced on any other form of transport, there would be a national inquiry and public outcry. Yet, for some reason, we seem to accept this as the risk of moving around our communities. This should not be the case.”
In an announcement last year, the government revealed plans to draft a new road safety strategy, the first in more than a decade. The strategy is expected to include the introduction of a new Road Safety Investigation Branch.
Driverless buses and taxis planned for spring 2026
Pilot schemes trialling autonomous bus and taxi services are to begin in spring 2026, according to the government.
The announcement will please an increasing number of car manufacturers and MPs who have been urging the government not to squander its position as a leader in the field of autonomous driving technology. There have been calls for the government to pass legislation allowing fully self-driving vehicles to operate on UK roads. In the government's long awaited response to pressure, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said that the government will fast-track trials of driverless vehicles.
Ms Alexander said, “The future of transport is arriving. Self-driving cars could bring jobs, investment, and the opportunity for the UK to be among the world-leaders in new technology.”
Businesses will be permitted to trial limited-scale "taxi and bus-like" services operating without safety drivers for the first time. It is expected that members of the public will be able to book transportation by these services with a mobile app. If all goes well, a wider rollout could happen across the country, facilitated by the full Automated Vehicles Act, which will become law in the second half of 2027.
The new legislation will require self-driving vehicles to exhibit a level of safety at least as high as "competent and careful" human drivers. Vehicles will need to pass detailed safety tests to show that they can meet that requirement.
Small scale self-driving trials by British companies have actually been taking place in the UK since January 2015. Wayve and Oxa have both had their autonomous driving systems tested. So far, however, most autonomous vehicles trialled on UK roads have been required to carry safety drivers who can take over should something go wrong.
Police to crush vehicles used "antisocially" within 48 hours
The government has launched a consultation on fast-tracking police disposal of vehicles seized for antisocial behaviour.
In an announcement dated 28 May 2025, the Home Office said that people causing trouble by off-road biking in public parks and intimidating street racing will have their cars, e-scooters or off-road bikes seized and destroyed after 48 hours under the stronger police powers covered by the consultation. As the law currently stands, the police must wait 14 days before destroying a seized vehicle. This longer period gives offenders a greater chance of reclaiming their vehicles, and thus compromises the effectiveness of seizure and destruction as a deterrent to antisocial driving. Under the new proposals, police officers will no longer be required to issue a warning before seizing vehicles used by offenders.
As well as reducing antisocial driving, the changes are intended to help police tackle more serious crime, such as the use of e-scooters and e-bikes in drug dealing and other crimes and violence.
The Minister for Crime and Policing, Dame Diana Johnson said, "Antisocial and reckless driving brings misery to communities across the country, from dangerous street racing to off-road bikes tearing through local parks.
"By enabling police to seize and dispose of these vehicles within just 48 hours, we’re giving our officers the tools they need to deliver immediate results and providing communities the swift justice they deserve."
Ford UK car models to be taken off the road in safety recall
Ford has confirmed that some UK models of its cars will be subject to recall to address a major safety defect. The fault prompting the recall involves a problem with a door latch.
Some UK Mustang Mach-E electric cars are affected by this latest safety recall, but full details on the number and models of UK cars affected are not yet clear. Ford said that they will be in touch with affected customers shortly, and that owners of affected cars are likely to receive necessary updates free of charge.
The models so far specified are some Mustang Mach E cars made from 2021 - 2025. A report explains that door latches may remain closed when the car's battery is low, which could result in passengers being stuck in the car. Clearly such a fault could be dangerous in case of an emergency necessitating getting out of the vehicle in a hurry.
RAC announces the UK's most popular cars
Figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, and reported by the RAC indicate that the UK’s new car market grew in May 2025. Registrations of new cars increased by 1.6% to 150,070 units. Although this was the best May result since 2021, the figures are still 18.3% lower than those for 2019, before the Covid pandemic. and was only the second month of growth in 2025 - highlighting ongoing economic uncertainty and fragile consumer confidence.
Sales of hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) and battery electric vehicles (BEV) were all up; however, BEVs have only achieved a 20.9% market share so far this year, which is substantially short of the 28% target specified by regulations.
The RAC published tables showing which cars achieved the most new registrations in May 2025, and which had achieved the most new registrations in the year to date.
Most new registration May 2025
| Make/model | Number of registrations |
|---|---|
| Ford Puma | 3,695 |
| Kia Sportage | 3,256 |
| Nissan Qashqai | 3,088 |
| Nissan Juke | 2,876 |
| Vauxhall Corsa | 2,693 |
| MG ZS | 2,625 |
| Volkswagen Polo | 2,295 |
| Hyundai Kona | 2,189 |
| Peugeot 2008 | 2,096 |
| Mini Cooper | 2,079 |
2025 year-to-date new registrations
| Make and model | Number of registrations |
|---|---|
| Ford Puma | 21,936 |
| Kia Sportage | 19,636 |
| Nissan Qashqai | 17,077 |
| Vauxhall Corsa | 16,545 |
| Nissan Juke | 15,249 |
| Volkswagen Golf | 14,198 |
| MG ZS | 12,918 |
| Volkswagen Tiguan | 12,634 |
| Volvo XC40 | 12,606 |
| MG HS | 12,548 |
