Thousands of injuries on British roads go unreported

Tens of thousands of serious injuries caused by accidents on Britain's roads are not being reported to the police, figures show.
Tens of thousands of serious injuries caused by accidents on Britain's roads are not being reported to the police, figures show. Credit: Rui Vieira/PA WireTens of thousands of serious injuries caused by accidents on Britain's roads are not being reported to the police, figures show. Credit: Rui Vieira/PA Wire
Tens of thousands of serious injuries caused by accidents on Britain's roads are not being reported to the police, figures show. Credit: Rui Vieira/PA Wire

Transport minister Andrew Jones said there are as many as 90,000 such cases each year.

Up to 540,000 more people suffer unreported slight injuries annually.

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Mr Jones revealed the figures for 2011-15 in response to a written parliamentary question by Transport Select Committee chair Louise Ellman.

Hospital records, surveys and compensation claims are used to calculate how many casualties are unknown to the police.

The Department for Transport estimates there are up to 800,000 road casualties in Britain each year.

Steve Gooding, director of motoring research charity the RAC Foundation, said: “The key to understanding any situation is to be able to trust the numbers behind it.

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“The positive news is that the worst accidents which cause the worst injuries are almost universally likely to come to police attention, and hence get recorded and analysed to help avoid similar events in the future.

“The biggest cracks come at the other end of the spectrum where cuts, bruises and sore necks go unreported.

“However, the validity of some of these injuries must be questionable, not least many of the 1,500 whiplash claims which the insurance industry deals with daily and is working with government to reduce.”