Skip to main content

UK ‘headed for gridlock’ as new record car use revealed

UK Road safety charity Brake is concerned by worrying new figures showing car traffic reached a new peak in 2015, with overall traffic increasing by almost 19 per cent since 1995. According to UK government statistics, the number of vehicle miles travelled grew by 1.1 per cent in 2015, to 247.7 billion, slightly higher than the previous peak in 2007. Van traffic has continued to grow more quickly than any other vehicle type, rising 4.2 per cent from 2014 levels. Lorry traffic saw the largest year-on-year
May 20, 2016 Read time: 3 mins
UK Road safety charity 4235 Brake is concerned by worrying new figures showing car traffic reached a new peak in 2015, with overall traffic increasing by almost 19 per cent since 1995.

According to UK government statistics, the number of vehicle miles travelled grew by 1.1 per cent in 2015, to 247.7 billion, slightly higher than the previous peak in 2007. Van traffic has continued to grow more quickly than any other vehicle type, rising 4.2 per cent from 2014 levels. Lorry traffic saw the largest year-on-year increase since the 1980s, growing by 3.7 per cent from 2014.

Motorway use has now increased by 10 percent in the last ten years and in 2015 saw 66.5 billion vehicle miles of traffic, 2.6 per cent more than in 2014, while the use of rural roads went up by 2 per cent from 2014, and traffic on both ‘A’ roads and minor roads reached record levels.

There has been a worrying long-term decrease in the number of miles buses are now covering. From 2014 to 2015 there was a drop of 4.6 per cent in bus and coach travel. This is perhaps not surprising; there has been a decrease of 21 per cent in local authority supported bus services outside London in the last decade. A lack of public transport in some areas means many people are left with no other option than to use private vehicles.

Despite the recent increase in cycling, the amount of miles cycled in 2015, 3.2 billion, was down 6.1 per cent on the year before, after a steady increase between 2002 and 2014. Taking a longer view, cyclists in 2015 travelled only around one quarter of the 14.7 billion miles ridden in 1949.

Increases in traffic on the road network mean a greater number of interactions of vehicles and pedestrians and, therefore, increases the likelihood of crashes occurring. Per mile travelled, the risk of being killed or seriously injured in a road crash has fallen almost every year since 1949 but there was a slight increase in 2014.

Campaigns adviser for Brake, the road safety charity Alice Bailey said: “These new figures show our message of “drive less live more” is more pertinent than ever. We have record car usage in the UK along with all the congestion and pollution this brings. More traffic means more risks to vulnerable road users and danger to the health of both individuals and the planet. To see a reduction in levels of vehicle use, we need everyone to seriously consider if they really need to make that journey by car and always walk, cycle or use public transport if they can.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Decrease in Florida’s red-light running crashes
    January 6, 2015
    The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles' (DHSMV) recently-released third annual Red-Light Camera Summary Report analysed data from 68 police agencies in the cities and towns in Florida where red-light safety cameras are deployed. The report shows a decrease in red-light running violations and crashes at intersections with red-light safety cameras and is consistent with results from previous state reports affirming the effectiveness of this important law enforcement tool. Total violations
  • Copenhagen ‘a haven for cyclists’
    January 9, 2015
    According to citymetric.com, Copenhagen is a haven for cyclists. They have a special orange cycling bridge over the harbour and everything from mail to Christmas trees is delivered by cycle. In the city there are more cycles than people, while a traffic system encourages the residents to cycle, with the promise of a stop-free ride into the city. It's all thanks to a traffic management system known as the Green Wave, which operates at peak times. Traffic signage is timed such that, if a cyclist travels at
  • Fresh support from CrashMap
    August 17, 2012
    Less than a year after it launched, CrashMap.co.uk has been updated with the all the latest UK government data on road traffic crashes and new features to help community groups and campaigners. The website uses data collected by the police about road traffic crashes occurring on British roads where someone is injured. This data is approved by the National Statistics Authority and reported on by the Department for Transport each year. The site uses data obtained directly from official sources but compiled in
  • Intelligence-led approach to combat drink and drug driving
    August 11, 2016
    The latest national figures show that forces across the UK followed a targeted approach that saw an increase in alcohol tests showing a positive, failed or refused reading. While the percentage of drivers tested reduced, officers targeted drink drive hotspots using an intelligence-led approach. The figures show that a total of 45,267 breath tests were ministered; 4,539, or 10 per cent, were positive, refused or failed of total tested that were positive, failed or refused. A total of 279 drug field impair