An estimated 1,558 people were killed on Britain’s roads last year, Department for Transport (DfT) figures show.

Road fatalities increased by 7% from 1,460 in 2020 – a year when traffic levels plummeted during the coronavirus pandemic.

Last year’s total represents an 11% decrease compared with 2019. Traffic levels did continue to remain low in 2021, however, due to coronavirus restrictions and a three-month lockdown, affecting the overall measurement of causalities.

Steve Gooding, director of motoring research charity the RAC Foundation, said: “While the headline reduction in death and injury on the roads is welcome, the waters are still muddied by the impact of COVID and the damping effect it had on traffic volume.

“The worry must be that traffic returns to pre-pandemic levels resulting in casualty numbers and casualty risk also rising and remaining stubbornly high.”

Mr Gooding added that there are “signs the government is serious about improving road safety”.

Other figures show that 229 people travelling by foot were wounded by e-scooters in 2021 – and 67 of them were seriously injured.

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That is up from a total of 57 pedestrian casualties in 2020, which included just 13 serious injuries.

Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng laid out a growth plan with the goal to accelerate 45 safer road schemes in England.

The DfT has also committed to setting up an investigation branch focused on road safety.

AA head of roads policy Jack Cousens said: “We were hopeful that the lockdowns and restricted travel throughout the pandemic would reset road deaths, but sadly they have increased from 2020 and a new trend has become more established.

“The wider introduction of micromobility into the national transport picture must look at how we can adopt new and emerging personal mobility tech without compromising the safety of all road users, including pedestrians.”

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