The United Kingdom has a good record on road safety compared with the rest of the European Union. In 1998 the United Kingdom had among the lowest death rates per 100,000 population, at 6 per 100,000 for adults and 2 per 100,000 for children.
Other major developed countries also have higher rates than the United Kingdom. In the United States in 1997, the adult death rate was 19 per 100,000 population, while it was 12 per 100,000 in Canada, 11 per 100,000 in Australia and 10 per 100,000 in Japan.
| Fatal injuries | Serious injuries | Slight injuries | All casualties | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 1.03 | 6.57 | 19.60 | 27.20 |
| 1987 | 0.93 | 6.01 | 17.99 | 24.93 |
| 1988 | 0.81 | 5.18 | 17.25 | 23.24 |
| 1989 | 0.84 | 4.92 | 17.05 | 22.81 |
| 1990 | 0.80 | 4.23 | 16.01 | 21.04 |
| 1991 | 0.69 | 3.72 | 14.00 | 18.41 |
| 1992 | 0.69 | 3.40 | 13.28 | 17.37 |
| 1993 | 0.57 | 2.82 | 12.25 | 15.63 |
| 1994 | 0.54 | 2.95 | 12.26 | 15.75 |
| 1995 | 0.56 | 3.10 | 12.89 | 16.56 |
| 1996 | 0.60 | 3.13 | 13.93 | 17.67 |
| 1997 | 0.57 | 3.07 | 13.90 | 17.55 |
| 1998 | 0.49 | 2.68 | 13.25 | 16.42 |
