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2023
Road Traffic Collision and Casualty Update
R.91/2024
MAY 2024
Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 3 Source of Data ..................................................................................................................................... 3 Adoption of the Safe System Approach .............................................................................................. 3 Key Definitions ........................................................................................................................................ 4 Community Benefits in Reducing Collisions ............................................................................................ 5 Table 1: Average Value of Prevention of Road Collisions by Severity and Element Cost – 2023 .... 5
Key Collision and Casualty Data - 2023 ................................................................................................... 6 Data Trends ............................................................................................................................................. 7 Figure 1: Overall and Killed and Seriously Injured Casualty Numbers in Jersey 2010 to 2023 ....... 7 Figure 2: KSI Casualties by Road User Group – 3yr Rolling Averages 2012 to 2023 ........................ 8 Summary Tables ...................................................................................................................................... 9 Table 2: Injury Collisions by Severity – 2023. 9 Table 3: Casualties by Severity and Road User Type – 2023.. 9 Table 4: Casualty by Severity: Vulnerable Road User vs Non-Vulnerable Road User – 2023 .......... 9 Summary Figures................................................................................................................................... 10 Figure 3: by Road User Type – comparison with KSI's 2019 to 2023. 10 Figure 4: Casualties by Road User Type – comparison with Great Britian .................................... 11 Child Casualties ................................................................................................................................. 12 Figure 5: Child (Ages 0 to 15) Casualties by Road User Type – 2019 to 2023 ............................... 12
Casualties by Sex ............................................................................................................................... 13 Figure 6: Casualties by Road User Type and Sex – 2019 to 2023 13 Young Drivers and Riders .................................................................................................................. 14 Figure 7: Numbers of Car Drivers Involved in Collisions by Age Group 2019 to 2023 .................. 14 Figure 8: Number of Motorcycle and Moped Riders Involved in Collisions by Age Group ........... 15 Conclusion and Future Steps................................................................................................................. 16 Appendix A: Glossary of Terms ............................................................................................................. 17
As part of the Government's commitment to improving road safety, it is important that collision and casualty data is collected, validated, analysed, and reported.
This is important because:
• Data informs the Island of our road safety performance
• Data enables us to deliver evidence-led road safety investment in road infrastructure
• Data supports identification of trends in collisions or road user behaviour to support development of behavioural change initiatives to reduce road risk and improve road safety.
This report provides a summary and analysis of road traffic collisions and casualties that occurred between 2019 to the end of 2023. It also gives further insight into data from collisions and casualties involving vulnerable road users which have been identified as a particular concern.
The data used in this report is collected by the States of Jersey Police, who record information from every reported road traffic collision that results in personal injuries. Consequently, data from collisions that only result in vehicle, property, or infrastructure damage is not included in this analysis.
Supplementary data for Great Britain is used for comparison purposes and has been collected by UK Police Forces and validated by the UK Department for Transport.
It is important to note that this data does not incorporate information from other potential sources, such as hospital data which may result in slight variations to the figures. However, this single source approach is consistent with practices in countries committed to improving road safety. It supports reliable, year-on-year comparisons and ensures data uniformity by relying on a sole source.
Adoption of the Safe System Approach
Our commitment to adopting the Safe System Approach in road safety is central to our ambition. This proactive, data-led strategy focuses on anticipating and preventing safety issues. Acknowledging that humans make mistakes, it aims to ensure collisions are survivable and injuries are minimised. By emphasising good road safety management and continuous learning, this approach targets the most vulnerable road users, such as motorcyclists, cyclists, and pedestrians, to reduce collision severity and likelihood. By integrating safety measures and embedding positive cultural change, this approach addresses systemic weaknesses rather than focusing solely on individual behaviour. Successfully adopted by countries like the Netherlands and Sweden, it has significantly reduced road collisions and subsequent injury severities.
It is important to recognise the difference between collision data and casualty data as well as the severities attributed to both, as these can sometimes be different and can cause confusion when looking at different data sets together.
Collision Severity: Classified according to the most severe injury sustained in the collision, collisions are categorised into:
• Slight: Minor injuries requiring minimal medical attention
• Serious: Injuries needing hospital admission, such as fractures or serious head injuries
• Fatal: Injuries leading to death within 30 days of the collision.
Casualty Severity: Each individual involved in a collision is assessed for:
• Slight injuries: Minor injuries like sprains or shallow cuts
• Serious injuries: More significant injuries requiring hospital care
• Fatalities: Deaths occurring within 30 days as a result of injuries sustained in a collision.
KSI – Killed and seriously injured casualties. It is good practice to group the number of killed and serious casualty data together to provide another metric to support monitoring and analysis of road safety performance.
Vulnerable Road Users – Pedestrians (including Skateboard & Push Scooter), Motorcycle Riders, Pedal Cycle Riders including E-Bikes and Cargo bikes, E-Scooters Riders[1] & Horse Riders. They are so called because they are much more susceptible to injury or a greater severity of injury because of a lack of, or lesser extent of, vehicular protection. Further definitions of other types of road user can be found in Appendix A.
3- Year Rolling Average: This is a statistical measure used to smooth out data fluctuations over a three-year period, making trends easier to find and analyse. It calculates the average of data points for the current year and the two preceding years, and this average is updated annually by dropping the oldest years data and including the newest years data in the calculation.
Community Benefits in Reducing Collisions
Our priority is to make our Island's roads safer for all road users and create an environment where everyone feels safe. This responsibility extends beyond the Government and the Police; every resident and visitor has a responsibility to ensure their behaviour and the condition of their vehicles contribute to positive road safety outcomes.
There are significant financial benefits to reducing the number of road casualties. The estimated value of preventing collisions is shown in Table 1. Based on these figures, the potential monetary impact of road traffic collisions in Jersey in 2023 was over £28 million. When you include collisions which only resulted in damage (which are not always reported), this figure will only increase further.
Although these costs are estimated, and nothing can truly capture the loss of a loved one, they do provide an insight into the scale of the challenges we face when trying to save lives and benefit the community as a whole when working to prevent future collisions.
To ensure consistency and adherence to good practice, we use the UK Government's Department of Transport's monetary assessment of collisions[2] and apply these costs to Jersey. The average value of the prevention of collisions based specifically on Jersey data has not been calculated.
Table 1: Average Value of Prevention of Road Collisions by Severity and Element Cost – 2023
Collision Severity | Total (£) |
Fatal | £2,862,841 |
Serious | £327,890 |
Slight | £33,294 |
The costs of collision prevention encompass various components that reflect the economic, medical, and community impacts of road collisions. These components include:
• Net Output: Economic losses due to reduced productivity and earnings from casualties
• Willingness to Pay (WTP): The value individuals and society place on avoiding collisions, including the value of statistical life, pain and suffering, quality of life impacts, and loss of enjoyment of life
• Medical & Ambulance Costs: Expenses related to ambulance services and emergency care required immediately after a collision and future medical expenses
• Police Costs: Resource expenditure for police involvement in collision scene and traffic management, forensic and expert investigation and enforcement and any associated prosecution
• Damage to Infrastructure and or Property: Costs associated with repairing or replacing damaged vehicles and infrastructure
• Insurance & Administrative Costs: Administrative, legal, and insurance-related expenses resulting from collision.
Overall road traffic casualties have been reducing in Jersey especially in recent years, but not amongst those who are killed or seriously injury.
Figure 1: Overall and Killed and Seriously Injured Casualty Numbers in Jersey 2010 to 2023
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2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 All Casualties All Rolling Average KSI Casualties KSI Rolling Average
Some of the reduction in casualties can be attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic. There was a noticeable decrease in the number of casualties in 2020 and 2021, largely due to people being asked to stay at home and only travel in an emergency.
Changes to police reporting methodology and requirements in 2021 may also have impacted the number of reported KSI casualties, as the way injuries were classified as serious' or slight' changed.
Figure 2: KSI Casualties by Road User Group – 3yr Rolling Averages 2012 to 2023[3]
Figure 2 shows the numbers of killed and seriously injured vulnerable road users against the number of vehicle occupants killed and seriously injured by year.
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Car/ Other All Vulnerable Road Users
During the Covid-19 pandemic during 2020 to 2021, there was a noticeable decrease in the number KSI casualties from previous years, this includes vulnerable road users such as cyclists and pedestrians, despite a surge in these activities. This reduction in KSI casualties coincided with a significant decrease in vehicle traffic[4] due to social distancing and lockdown restrictions.
When Covid-19 restrictions were lifted and travel and transport use began to return to pre-Covid-19 levels, there was a corresponding increase in collisions involving vulnerable road users, underscoring the critical importance of understanding the challenges of our network where vulnerable users and motor vehicles need to share the road space.
Table 2: Injury Collisions by Severity – 2023
Collision Severity | Total |
Fatal | 3 |
Serious | 47 |
Slight | 138 |
Total | 188[5] |
Table 2 presents data on 188 injury-only collisions. An additional 744 collisions were excluded from this count, as they involved only vehicle or property damage. These 188 collisions resulted in a total of 214 casualties.
Table 3: Casualties by Severity and Road User Type – 2023
Casualty Severity | Pedes trian |
| Motorcycle | E-Scooter | Car/ Other[6] |
| Total |
Pedal Cycle | Unknown | ||||||
Fatal | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
Serious | 14 | 7 | 17 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 48 |
Slight | 20 | 34 | 46 | 1 | 59 | 2 | 162 |
Total | 36 | 42 | 63 | 1 | 70 | 2 | 214 |
Table 3 shows casualties by road user type for 2023 and the severity of injuries sustained.
Car occupants form only about a third of all casualties, while collectively, vulnerable road users form most casualties.
Table 4: Casualty by Severity: Vulnerable Road User vs Non-Vulnerable Road User – 2023
Casualty Severity | Vulnerable Road Users |
| Total | |
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| |||
Non-Vulnerable Road Users[7] | ||||
Fatal | 3 | 1 | 4 | |
Serious | 38 | 10 | 48 | |
Slight | 101 | 59 | 160 | |
Total | 142 | 70 | 212[8] | |
Table 4 shows total casualties for all vulnerable road user classifications compared to all other road user categories within 2023.
Figure 3: by Road User Type – comparison with KSI's 2019 to 2023[9]
All Casualties 1 192 433 64.2% Vulnerable Road Users 269 313 Pedestrian Pedal Cycle Motor Cycle/ Moped Car/ Taxi/ Other E-Scooter |
| KSI Casualties 0 51 54 79.5% Vulnerable Road Users 69 75 Pedestrian Pedal Cycle Motor Cycle/ Moped Car/ Taxi/ Other E-Scooter |
The road casualty data for Jersey reveals a challenging environment to try and reduce casualties. It highlights the disparity between the frequency of casualties and their severity across different types of road users. Motor vehicles lead in overall casualty numbers, reflecting their dominance on the roads. However, a deeper look into the data especially for collisions resulting in road users being killed or seriously injured (KSI) identifies a significant trend for vulnerable road users and clearly shows the elevated risks faced by cyclists and pedestrians on Jersey's roads.
The low incidence of e-scooter casualties could be attributed to their current legal status[10], potential underreporting compared to other road user types and both the length and quantity of journeys undertaken. However, as urban mobility evolves and if e-scooters become a legal form of transport in the future, their impact on road safety will need to be closely monitored to understand the impact on road risk.
Figure 4: Casualties by Road User Type – comparison with Great Britian
Due to the high proportion of vulnerable road users, a comparison has been made with Great Britain. While Jersey's environment and culture are unique and like for like comparisons with other jurisdictions are difficult, Jersey's road laws, design processes and standards, highway infrastructure and driving rules closely align with that of Great Britian.
To see how Jersey compares, five years of data (a sample large enough to be statistically robust) has been analysed and compared with the latest figures available from Great Britain (2022).
Jersey (2019 to 2023) 0.1% 15.9% 35.8% 64.2% Vulnerable Road Users 22.3% 25.9% Pedestrian Pedal Cycle Motor Cycle/ Moped Car/ Other E-Scooter |
| Great Britain (2022) 0.8% 14.3% 60.8% 39.2% 11.6% Vulnerable Road Users 12.5% Pedestrian Pedal Cycle Motor Cycle/ Moped Car/ Taxi/ Other E-Scooter |
The data reveals that a significantly greater proportion of road casualties in Jersey involve vulnerable road users being 64.2%, compared to Great Britain with 39.2%. Several factors could explain this significant difference. Jersey's roads often have no or narrow pavements, numerous bends, and varying road widths, making them more challenging for vulnerable road users. Additionally, Jersey, as a small island, is more attractive for active travel modes of transport.
In contrast, the road network in Great Britain excludes vulnerable modes of transport on large parts of the network (such as motorways) by law, there are also much larger distances between trip attractors. Where there are popular active travel routes, the infrastructure is typically segregated from other transport modes reducing the opportunity for collisions between road user groups.
Of the various vulnerable road user groups, motorcycles and mopeds are involved in 25.9% of road casualties in Jersey, which is more than double the percentage in Great Britain - 12.5%. Pedal cycles also show a higher involvement in collisions in Jersey at 22.3%, compared to 11.6% in Great Britain.
Figure 5: Child (Ages 0 to 15) Casualties by Road User Type – 2019 to 2023[11]
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Car/ Taxi/ Other Motor Cycle/ Moped Pedal Cycle Pedestrian
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Vulnerable Road Users 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 24.4%
Non-Vulnerable Road Users
Figure 5 shows child casualties (those under the age of 16) split by the type of road user the child was during the collision that resulted in them being injured.
For the categories of Motorcycle/ Moped' and Car/ Taxi/ Other' the child would have been a passenger of these types of vehicles.
Figure 5 shows children, face higher risks on Jersey's roads, with 75.6% of the injuries (in collisions involving vulnerable road users where a child is involved) are to the child.
Overall casualty levels by sex were examined. In 2023, 139 casualties on Jersey roads were male and 75 were female.
Casualty levels by sex and road user type were then examined, again for the five-year period from 2019 to 2023, to produce statistically meaningful results.
Figure 6: Casualties by Road User Type and Sex – 2019 to 2023 [12] 300
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- Pedestrian Pedal Cycle
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E-Scooter
Figure 6 shows a notable disparity between the casualty levels of pedal cyclists and motorcycle/ moped users. Men are at a significantly higher rate to be involved in motorcycle/ moped and pedal cycle collisions than woman.[13] Also, there is a smaller difference in the casualty figures for car/ taxi/ other' between genders, suggesting a more uniform risk profile for these vehicle occupants.
• Men who ride motorcycles or mopeds have a casualty rate that is four times higher than that a of women
• Men who cycle have a casualty rate that is twice as high as that of women
• Men who are vulnerable road users have a casualty rate that is twice as high as that of women.
Figure 7: Numbers of Car Drivers Involved in Collisions by Age Group 2019 to 2023
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500 482
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194
200 149
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16-24 25-59 60+
Age Range
Figure 7 shows the numbers of young car drivers involved in collisions compared to other age groups for the five-year period from 2019 to 2023.
Figure 7 shows that 18% of drivers involved in collisions resulting in personal injury are young drivers. In comparison, Jersey's 2021 Census[14] indicates that 11.3% of the population aged 16 and older falls within the 16-24 age group. This comparison suggests that young drivers are disproportionately involved in collisions, indicating a higher risk relative to their proportion in the population.
Young drivers and or riders of motorcycles and mopeds are at a higher rate to be involved in road traffic collisions due to a combination of factors including inexperience, risk-taking behaviours, and a tendency to underestimate road hazards. Additionally, their limited experience in handling vehicles in challenging situations and potential lack of adherence to traffic rules all potentially contribute to the higher incidence of collision involvement.
Figure 8: Number of Motorcycle and Moped Riders Involved in Collisions by Age Group
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Figure 8 shows the numbers of young motorcycle and moped riders involved in collisions compared to other age groups for the five-year period from 2019 to 2023.
46.5% of riders involved in collisions that result in personal injury are young riders, aged 16 to 24. This proportion has fluctuated over the years but has never significantly decreased. In comparison, riders aged 25 and older make up 53.5% of these collisions. This means young riders are highly overrepresented in these incidents.
The data in this report highlights the multi-faceted nature of the challenges posed by road safety in our community.
Jersey has higher proportion of road traffic casualties compared to mainland Great Britain, other British Islands, and many European countries. The Island's vulnerable road users are overrepresented in our collision and casualty data, especially cyclists and motorcyclists. Young drivers and young moped and motorcycle riders also form disproportionately high percentages of road users involved in collisions. Future road safety programmes and behavioural change initiatives will need to address casualty levels amongst these classifications of road user.
By working collaboratively across Government, Parishes, emergency services and the Island community, we can strive towards a safer future for all road users, where collision numbers decline, driver / rider behaviours improve, and adherence to road safety laws increase. This should lead to fewer casualties and enhanced well-being for everyone. This approach will not only reduce the burden on emergency services and our healthcare system but also foster a community culture that prioritises road safety and collective responsibility from everyone who uses our roads.
Road User Type: This term categorises the diverse groups of individuals who use the road. The main types include:
• Pedestrians: Includes individuals on foot as well as those using wheelchairs, skateboards and push scooters
• Pedal Cyclists: Users of bicycles and other pedal-driven vehicles, including E-bikes and cargo bikes
• Motor Cyclists: Riders of motorcycles, which can be further categorised by engine class or electric models
• Cars: Including personal & business vehicles
• Taxi/Private Hire Car: Vehicles licensed to carry passengers for hire
• Minibus, Bus, or Coach: Larger vehicles varying in passenger capacity and usage
• Ridden Horse: Individuals on horseback, using roads
• Agricultural Vehicle: Vehicles used primarily for agricultural purposes, includes diggers
• Goods Vehicles: This category includes lorries and vans, which can be further categorised by weight class
• Mobility Scooter: Electric vehicles designed for individuals with mobility impairments
• E-Scooters: Electric powered scooters (currently illegal to use on public roads, parks and pavements).
[1] It is currently illegal to ride an electric scooter on roads or footpaths in Jersey. They are only legal to ride on private land, however where they have been involved in a personal injury collision and SOJP data collected, they have been included in this update.
[2] UK Department for Transport WebTag data;
3 Infographic 1: 2 unknown road users are not included when working out percentage.
Infographic 2: 744 of these collisions resulted in damage to vehicles or property but 188 involved injuries to one or more individual.
*Infographic 3: uses UK Department for Transport data; no Jersey data available (see Page 3) – This is an estimated cost of prevention for all collisions in 2023, not the actual cost of the collisions.
Infographic 4: Data reflects injury-causing collisions only and the rate of sustaining a KSI by road user type.
Infographic 5: Includes any passengers injured when calculating the average age for each road user type.
[3] Other includes Taxi, Minibus, Bus, Coach, Agricultural Vehicle & Goods Vehicles
[4] Transport Statistics - Road traffic weekly - Government of Jersey Open Data; May 2019 compared with May 2021 show a total vehicle traffic decrease by 7.34% (2020 not available due to Covid-19 restrictions being in place)
[5] Injury only collisions
[6] Other includes Taxi, Minibus, Bus, Coach, Agricultural Vehicle & Goods Vehicles
[7] Non-Vulnerable Road User includes Minibus, Bus, Coach, Agricultural Vehicle & Good Vehicle (refer to page 5 for definition)
[8] Total does not include 2 casualties where the road user type in unknown
[9] Figures do not include 11 casualties where the road user type in unknown
[10] Electric scooter use on the public highway is illegal in Jersey.
[11] Figure 5 is for the five-year period from 2019 to 2023 to produce statistically meaningful results.
[12] Graph does not include 11 casualties where the road user type in unknown
[13] Data on vehicle ownership by sex is not available for all road user types therefore data isn't presented proportionally as a percentage
[14] R CensusFinalReport 20221213 SJ.pdf (gov.je) (Page 92 – 93)