Are cycling fatalities on London roads falling? A data-led look at 2024 - 2026

In this blog, Rory explores trends between 2024 and 2026, the limitations of existing data, and what the figures reveal about ongoing risks facing cyclists and the need for further safety measures.

In the two and a half years between January 2024 and June 2026 there has been a total of 21 media reports of cycling fatalities on London’s roads.

Transport for London (TfL) has issued a statement suggesting that fatalities, including cycling fatalities on London’s roads, are at their the lowest since pandemic.

Why TfL’s statement sparked controversy

TfL came under huge criticism for this and was accused of a “cover up” over the safety of the capital’s roads. The data around the total number of serious injuries and fatalities with cyclists points to a rise from 3,650 (10 fatalities) in 2024 to 3,945 (six fatalities) in 2025.

Many organisations, including TfL, rely on the Department of Transport (DfT) to examine the data for the total number of fatalities on the roads in the UK each year.

How cycling fatalities are recorded: understanding Stats19

The data comes from Stats19.

Once the police have attended the scene of a road collision where a person has been seriously injured or killed on the public highway or the same is reported to the police by a third party, a document is completed by the police outlining all the key details they have obtained such as injuries, modes of transport involved, time, date etc.

Each report then becomes a stat. i.e. Stats19. This data is then collected and released for the past year at some point in the following year. The Stats 19 data for 2026 is not available yet and won’t be available until 2027.

Are cycling deaths really decreasing?

It should on the face of it be a cause for celebration that the number of fatal collisions drastically fell from 10 in 2024, when the number of cycling trips was 1.33 million per day to six in 2025 when there were a reported 1.5 million cycling trips a day (12.7% increase from 2024).

It is easy to see why TfL focused on the decrease in the number of fatalities in 2025 – especially in the context of increased numbers of cycling journeys. However, given they are better placed than most to know what is going on with London’s road network, celebrating this success whilst also being aware that there has already been a number of well reported cycling fatalities on London’s roads in 2026 feels insensitive to the victims and their families and glosses over what are on the face of it damning statistics demonstrating how unsafe London’s roads continue to be for those of us who choose cycling as our preferred way of travel.

Sadly, this year, to June 2026, there have already been five confirmed cycling fatalities, just one behind the six seen in the whole of 2025. If this rate of fatalities continues, we are actually heading for one of the worst years for cycling fatalities on London’s roads in recent years.

What’s causing fatal cycling collisions in London?

We should point out however that people who don’t dig down into the actual collision data are quick to assume causes of collisions which creates a false narrative. Of the 21 cycling fatalities on London’s roads, nine fatalities involved an HGV or van, four involved a bus, and five were reported as “hit and runs” or technically “failure to stop”. At least two of these collisions involved the driver being impaired through drink or drugs.

More generally, excessive speed by motorists remains the largest contributor to fatal collisions on London’s roads and we see that frequently with the work we do for families whose loved ones have been killed.

It is also important to be careful about how the data is presented because in some cases, we don’t know the exact circumstances of what happened and how the cyclist came into proximity with the vehicle to cause their death. What we do know however is hit and runs and drink/drug driving continue to be huge issues in London, not just for cyclists, but for pedestrians and other vulnerable road users too.

The tragic death of Yubin Tamang, a pedestrian who was killed by the high-profile rapper, Justin Clarke-Samuel illustrates the point. Clarke-Samuel failed to stop after he collided with Yubin and was found guilty of driving while drunk as well as death by dangerous driving.

A much-welcomed Road Safety Strategy was launched earlier in the year by the Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander where she specifically recognised the need to reduce blood alcohol limits as well as tougher action on drink and drug drivers.

Collisions involving larger vehicles also continue to make up the largest proportion of fatalities for cyclists.

The case for safer cycling infrastructure

Despite the sometimes-vocal criticism made by some about the increasing prevalence of cycleways and safer cycling routes, there remains a strong case in favour of further work being needed to separate cyclists from vehicles to eradicate these deaths and make roads safer to help achieve the mayor’s ambitious plans of Vision Zero by 2040.

Whilst TfL still has a lot of work to do, we certainly don’t believe it should be criticised too heavily given the changes it has made in the past few years to cycling and walking infrastructure and trying to make London’s roads safer by reducing speed limits, direct vision standards for larger vehicles and other safety measures.

About Rory McCarron

Rory is a solicitor in Leigh Day’s cycling team. He joined the firm in 2016 and has spent over a decade representing vulnerable road users, primarily cyclists who have sustained life-changing injuries. He only represents vulnerable road users whose cases normally demand specialist expertise.

As a daily cyclist, Rory brings both personal and professional insight to this work. He understands the physical and psychological importance of returning to cycling after a serious incident, and he has seen firsthand how the right legal support can make a meaningful difference during recovery and settlement.

CYCLING FATALITY DATA

2026 (3 lorry and 1 bus)

29.04.2026 – Kennington – Lorry  

10.03.2026 – Beckton – Bus  

04.02.2026 – Waltham Forest – Horse and Cart 

20.01.2026 – New Cross – HGV  

14.01.2026 – Commercial Road – Car door/lorry

2025 (2 lorry/van, 2 hit and run)

21.11.2025 – Old Kent road – Car driver – Hit and Run  

22..08.2025 – Hammersmith – Moped – Hit and Run 

16.06.2025 – Newham – Car driver  

12.04.2025 – Camden – Van driver  

03.04.2025 – Tower Hamlets – Unknown  

13.01.2025 - Newham – Lorry

2024 (3 bus, 5 lorry/van, 2 hit and run)

14.12.2024 – Lambeth – Bus  

23.11.24 – Isle of Dogs – Bus  

02.11.2024 – Putney – HGV  

01.11.24 Tooting – Van driver – Hit and run (driver under the influence of alcohol)  

14.10.24 – Brixton – Lorry driver  

11.09.24 – Feltham – Tipper truck  

03.08.2024 – Bexley – Bus on pavement (driver under the influence of drugs) 

06.07.2024 – Shadwell – Hit and Run  

27.06.24- Richmond – Stationary car  

19.03.24 – Farringdon – Bin lorry