Sussex revealed as deadliest area in South East England for pedestrians with highest recorded fatalities due to cars

The county accounted for 39% of recorded fatalities in the South East.

Greater London came second on the list, making up 31% of figures. It was followed by Kent and Thames Valley (which includes Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire) which logged 12% and 9% respectively.

Fifth on the list was Essex making up 6% of pedestrian deaths caused by cars since 2020. Behind it were the areas of Hertfordshire & Bedfordshire which accounted for 3% of recorded fatalities, followed by the City of London which recorded less than 1% of figures.

In the UK, an average of 372 pedestrians have been killed by cars each year since 2020, according to government statistics. But recent changes to the Highway Code introduced in 2022, sought to improve pedestrian safety.

New research by Personal Injury Claims UK set out to investigate whether there were actually any improvements to pedestrian fatalities and injuries figures following the updates.

One of the most significant changes to the Highway Code was the hierarchy of road users designed to create ‘clearer and stronger priorities’ for pedestrians.

It advises drivers turning into or out of a junction to give way to pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders who are either crossing or waiting to cross the road.

The aim was to improve the safety of the most vulnerable by also placing the greatest responsibility to reduce danger on vehicles that can cause the most harm such as large goods vehicles, vans, taxis and motorcycles.

However, figures obtained by Personal Injury Claims UK show that there were more collisions between pedestrians and cars after Highway Code changes came into force in every district in South East England.

In Sussex alone, there were a total of 173 pedestrians killed by cars since 2020. 3,744 sustained serious injuries, while 12,963 had slight injuries.

In the last three years, there were 16,610 collisions between pedestrians and cars across the county.

New findings follow a report from the Government’s Public Accounts Committee in November 2023, which declared that messaging around the changes had not been communicated effectively enough to encourage public participation.