The number of road accident...

The number of road accident fatalities was recorded at 3,172, while 31,845 people were killed or seriously injured. The total road casualty figure was down five per cent to 258,404, but there were big increases in deaths among child pedestrians (up 13 per cent)

and child pedal cyclists (up 55 per cent), as well a five per cent jump in motorcycle fatalities.

These results have led to calls for driver refresher training from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.

Released on the same day as the government’s revised Highway Code, the Department for Transport report shows that failing to look properly was a contributory factor in 35 per cent of all accidents and four of the six most frequently reported contributory factors involved driver or rider error or reaction. When it comes to fatal accidents, loss of control was involved in 35 per cent of incidents.

Kevin Clinton, RoSPA Head of Road Safety, said: "These are things that refresher training can help motorists to overcome. Even when a crash was not directly a driver"s fault, better skills behind the wheel may have helped to avoid the accident.”