Improvements to road safety in Britain over the last decade have suffered a setback as new figures reveal that the number of people killed or seriously injured in the year to June rose by 3%.

Department for Transport’s reported road casualties report says 24,620 people were killed or seriously injured over the last 12 months, compared to 23,914 the year before; a change which is described as “statistically significant”.

Fatalities on the roads increased by 2% to 1800, the highest number since 2011, but there are a third fewer deaths than in 2006.

The number of casualties of all severity fell by 2% in the last year and the overall casualty rate per mile decreased by 4%. Motor traffic rose by 1.5% over the same period.

In the three months to June 2016 there were 450 deaths on the roads, up 7% on the same quarter the year before and the number of killed and seriously injured casualties went up 3% to 44,250. There was a 1% increase in motor traffic over the same period.

Road safety trainer the TTC Group said the increase in road deaths could be due to more drivers making “fatal mistakes”. Director Alan Prosser said more people should re-read the Highway Code. “Sadly people are making fatal mistakes on the road leading to unnecessary deaths and serious injuries which could be avoided if we all took more care on the roads,” he said.

Road Safety Minister Andrew Jones said: “Britain continues to have some of the safest roads in the world but we are determined to do more.

“We have tightened the laws on drug driving, announced tougher penalties for using a mobile phone while driving and are also educating people about the consequences of dangerous driving through our THINK! campaign.”

♦ In other safety news, a Croydon tram overturned just after 6am this morning leading to loss of life and a number of injuries. British Transport Police says that the London Fire Brigade and London Ambulance Service remain at the scene and are working to free people who are still trapped. The incident appears to have happened on a bend near to the Sandilands tram stop. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch is investigating the incident.

(Photo: West Midlands Police)