Road Deaths and Serious Injuries in Devon and Cornwall Fall to Record Low

The number of people killed or seriously injured on Devon and Cornwall’s roads has dropped to the lowest level in recent recording history, new government figures show.

A near 20% fall in a single year

Provisional figures from the Department for Transport reveal that in 2025, 49 people were killed and 495 seriously injured in collisions across Devon and Cornwall. That is the lowest total since modern recording systems were introduced, and almost 20% lower than the figure for 2024.

The data also shows the number of killed or seriously injured (KSI) collisions in the region has fallen every year since 2022, the first full year after the Covid period.

Serious injuries cover things such as head injuries, broken bones, loss of limbs and cuts or lacerations.

The figures are provisional and remain subject to further validation, which means they can change as collision investigations progress.

Five years of Vision Zero South West

The release coincides with the fifth anniversary of Vision Zero South West, a road safety partnership bringing together 17 organisations across the region. They include Devon & Cornwall Police, Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, South Western Ambulance Service Trust, local authorities, NHS Trusts, air ambulance charities, National Highways and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.

The partnership has committed to cutting fatal and serious collisions by 50% by 2030, and these latest figures suggest that target is within reach.

Alison Hernandez, Police & Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, chairs the partnership.

“Our collective efforts, as partners and communities, to ensure road users are at their best are starting to make a real difference to people’s lives,” she said.

“While we are obviously delighted to see a significant decrease in the number of people being killed or seriously injured, there is still a lot of work to do.

“We must never forget what these numbers represent. These are real people killed in tragic and traumatic circumstances, loved ones and family members, parents and children, brothers, sisters and friends.”

Commissioner Hernandez said road safety had been a personal priority since she took office in 2016, which was why she helped set up the partnership. She added that working in partnership had been key to every success, and credited a willingness to embrace technology, try new things and stay relentless with safety messaging.

Adrian Leisk, Head of Road Safety for Devon & Cornwall Police, said the news showed the effectiveness of the partnership approach.

“Whilst this reduction is encouraging, our thoughts very much remain with those who have lost loved ones in a road traffic collision,” he said.

He added that enforcement around excessive speed, mobile phone use and seatbelt offences, alongside lowered speed limits and safety camera installation, was beginning to have a measurable effect.

So what does the partnership actually fund?

The money behind Vision Zero South West comes from the surplus recovered by Devon & Cornwall Police from offending motorists, through driver training schemes and costs awarded by Magistrates Courts, once police operating costs are met.

Over five years that funding has gone towards a state-of-the-art motorcycle simulator, a UK-first trial of AI cameras that detect seatbelt and mobile phone offences, pedestrian training for thousands of primary school children, and more than £250,000 of community-led safety schemes through a “Call For Ideas” grant scheme. Here are three of the projects.

Walkability

The Walkability programme delivers road safety lessons at primary schools, teaching pupils aged 7 to 11 the Green Cross Code, what road signs mean and how to find safer places to cross. So far it has reached more than 6,000 pupils at 77 schools.

Road safety is not a statutory part of the national curriculum, but the partnership feels strongly that every child should receive some formal training.

“The aim of Walkability is to see fewer pedestrian casualties among children and improve their safety when they are crossing the road,” said Emily Moore, Walkability Project Coordinator with Active Devon. “It really lays the foundation for safe pedestrian practices.”

Pedestrian training programmes also run in Plymouth, Torbay and Cornwall.

The Focus RS police car

One of the most eye-catching projects is a Ford Focus RS turned into a legally modified police car. It is the brainchild of Devon & Cornwall Police’s Road Casualty Reduction Sergeant Owen Messenger, who has spent years engaging with young drivers.

Working with GCM, a car scene and modified vehicle influencer, the pair make social media videos about road safety and the issues facing young drivers. The GCM channels have reached 53 million people and racked up 2.3 billion views.

“The car is a tool to grab attention,” said Sgt Messenger. “Out and about and at events, it breaks down barriers and encourages people, who might not usually engage with the police, to stop and talk.”

He said it particularly sparks conversations with 17 to 24 year olds, often about cars and road safety, but also knife crime and county lines. The vehicle will be sold at the end of the project.

Learn2Live

Learn2Live is a theatre-based road safety intervention delivered to thousands of college-aged students across Devon and Cornwall each year. Presented in partnership with the emergency services and local authorities, it visits around 18 venues and reaches over 8,000 students annually.

“Young drivers and passengers are one of the highest risk groups on our roads and are sadly overrepresented in our killed and seriously injured figures,” said James Warner of Devon & Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, pointing to inexperience, peer pressure, fatigue and risk taking.

More information about Vision Zero South West and its projects is at visionzerosouthwest.co.uk.