Pedestrian injury claims do not begin in dramatic places. Most start on an ordinary walk, across a junction, through a car park, stepping off a bus, or trying to cross before the lights change. That is why the latest numbers are so arresting. In 2024, 19,176 pedestrians were injured or killed on Britain’s roads, and recent BBC-linked coverage in the West Midlands has put renewed focus on a local problem that is plainly not going away.
In this piece, Katie Hinton draws upon more than 20 years of experience in legal practices across Birmingham and the Black Country, specialising in personal injury work at NBB Waldrons.
Pedestrian casualties remain stubbornly high
What stands out in the official data is not just the headline count, but how stubborn the risk remains. According to the DfT’s 2024 pedestrian factsheet, 409 pedestrians were killed, 5,823 were seriously injured and 12,944 were slightly injured in 2024. Provisional DfT figures put pedestrians at 15% of all road casualties that year, which is why Driving.org summarised the story as “one in seven”. The detail under that headline is even more useful for anyone thinking about liability after a collision: 61% of pedestrian deaths happened away from, or more than 20 metres from, a junction; 55% were in collisions involving a single car; and 57% of pedestrian killed-or-seriously-injured casualties were male.
Brake’s road-safety analysis adds another layer. On urban roads alone, 281 pedestrians were among the 564 people killed in Britain in 2024. Its age breakdown also points to two groups that remain especially vulnerable: adults aged 60+ accounted for 194 pedestrian deaths and 1,593 serious injuries, while children aged 0–15 accounted for 20 deaths and 1,253 serious injuries. For anyone advising families after a serious crash, those are not abstract categories. They are exactly the people most likely to be on foot in busy local streets, near schools, shops and bus routes.
Pedestrian Accidents in Birmingham and the West Midlands
Closer to home, BBC West Midlands then pushed the issue further into public view, reporting that 24 of the region’s 50 road deaths in 2025 were pedestrians, or 48% of the total. That kind of figure matters to a firm like ours because it reflects the roads our clients use every day across Birmingham, the Black Country and the wider West Midlands.
What to do after a pedestrian road accident
When I speak to clients after a pedestrian road accident, the legal position usually comes second to the practical shock of the incident. My first advice is always to protect the evidence as early as possible. If you can, get the driver’s details, registration number and insurer; photograph the location, the road layout and your injuries; keep details of any witnesses; and make sure medical treatment is documented. If the collision is serious, or the driver leaves the scene, report it to the police as soon as you can. Those first steps often shape what can later be proved. For a broader overview, our pages on pedestrian accident claims, road traffic accident claims and serious and catastrophic injury explain how those cases are built.
Can you make a pedestrian accident claim
In England and Wales, the legal question is usually whether another road user failed to take proper care. The current The Highway Code is clear that pedestrians are among the road users most at risk, and that those who can cause the greatest harm carry the greatest responsibility to reduce danger. In claim terms, that can matter in cases involving cars, vans, motorcycles, cyclists, e-scooters or even incidents around crossings and junction turns. Not every pedestrian injury claim is straightforward, but the combination of early evidence, medical records and a clear reconstruction of events makes a material difference. If injuries are more severe, our pages on rehabilitation and interim payments, do you need a solicitor to make a personal injury claim? and what happens when a compensation claim goes to court? are useful next reads.
Katie concludes:
“The number that stays with me is not just 19,176. It’s what sits behind it: ordinary people, on ordinary journeys, whose lives can change in seconds. If you have been injured as a pedestrian, the earlier you get advice, the easier it is to protect the evidence, understand your options and start moving forward.”
If you or a family member has been injured in a pedestrian road traffic accident, you can contact Katie or the NBB Waldrons Personal Injury team for clear advice on your next steps. We support clients in the West Midlands, Worcestershire, Staffordshire and Gloucestershire, and we can help you understand whether you may have a pedestrian accident claim in England and Wales.
