The government has released its latest report into road traffic levels on Britain’s roads, revealing a small increase in overall vehicle miles driven in 2018.
The rise means road use by all vehicle types combined remains at record levels, accumulating an astonishing 328.1 billion miles in total last year – that’s 28.1% higher than 25 years’ ago.
While car traffic remained stable (255 billion miles), light commercial vehicles and bicycles covered nearly 1% and 1.8% more miles respectively than in 2017 – the two biggest movers across vehicle types.
Lorry traffic was also largely unchanged, showing a small increase of 0.3% to 17.1 billion miles travelled in 2018.
The data offers some revealing insights into road network usage and emphasises the importance of the Government’s Road Investment Strategy to keep Britain’s road users moving.
With commuting and business trips representing the largest share of personal car mileage in England in 2018 and with traffic at record levels, it is vital to get drivers back on the road as quickly as possible when the inevitable bumps and accidents happen.
Accident aftercare could even play its small part in contributing to the government’s strategic priorities like growth and productivity by ensuring drivers remain mobile when the unexpected happens. Despite the rollout of new technology in modern cars, the sheer volume of vehicle miles driven means mishaps will, unfortunately, happen.
Previous
