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Are London roads getting safer?

Road deaths on the decrease for motorists and bikers but remain level for cyclists, according to official figures.

Some good news and some bad news for London inhabitants. The good news is that figures from Transport for London (TfL) have shown the number of motorist and motorcyclist road deaths and serious injuries decreased in 2013. The bad news is cyclist fatalities remained level.

132 fatalities occurred on London roads in 2013, the second lowest figure recorded and a drop of two fatalities compared with 2012. 2,192 people were seriously injured and 24,875 were slightly injured.

The number of people killed or seriously injured fell by 23 per cent in 2013, bringing the total down from 3,018 in 2012 to 2,324 in 2013 ─ an all-time low.

Car drivers killed at the wheel in London increased to 25 people, according to the figures published on the TfL website. Serious injuries, meanwhile, dropped 27 per cent to 773 people. Slight injuries increased by five per cent to 4,343 people. Overall that’s a 1.6 per cent improvement on 2012.

Of the 132 fatalities, 65 involved pedestrians (down from 69), 14 involved pedal cyclists (the same as in 2012), 22 involved powered two-wheelers (down from 27 in 2012), 1 involved a bus or coach (down from 2 in 2012) and five classed involved ‘other vehicle occupants’ (down from six in 2012).

Pedal cyclists accounted for 17 per cent of all casualties, 22 per cent of all serious injuries and 11 per cent of all fatalities in 2013. Riders and passengers of powered two wheelers also accounted for 17 per cent of all casualties and 22 per cent of serious injuries but 17 per cent of fatalities.

Males were the most accident prone, accounting for 64 per cent of all casualties in 2013. 93 per cent of powered two-wheeled casualties were accounted for by men, in fact, while 77 per cent of pedal cyclists casualties also involved men.

“These latest road casualty statistics are hugely encouraging, but they are by no means the end of the story,” London Mayor Boris Johnson commented.

“Our ultimate goal is to see a London where roads are free from death and serious injury, which is why we’re investing significant funding to make the road network fit for the 21st century,” he added.

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