The number of vehicles using the roads is falling, resulting in quicker and safer journeys for business drivers.

According to official figures just released by the Department for Transport (DfT), the country’s motorists travelled some 3.1 billion fewer miles last year.

The decline in number of people taking to the roads resulted in the numbers killed in crashes falling by 15%.

The number of road users seriously injured during the 12 months until September last year also fell by 8%, compared with the 12-month period ending September 2007.

The number of car drivers killed or seriously injured showed the biggest decline of any road user group – enjoying an overall reduction of 9%

The fall in the number of serious crashes is in direct correlation to the fall in the number of vehicles on the roads.

Between 2007 and 2008 every road type in the country saw a decline in traffic use.

The largest fall was seen on rural A roads, which saw a decline of 3% in traffic using these roads.

Traffic using motorways also fell last year by 2%.

Across all the country’s roads, the number of vehicles using them last year fell by 1% compared to 2007.

The number of cars on the roads decreased by 1.7% last year, although the number of light vans using the country’s roads increased by 2.8% during 2008.

In a clear reflection of the worsening economy seen in the second half of 2008, there was a significant fall in the number of heavy goods vehicles using the roads towards the end of last year, with a decline of 7% between the fourth quarters of 2007 and 2008.

During the third quarter of last year, the decline in the number of HGVs on the roads was already showing signs of a major fall.

During that period, heavy goods vehicle traffic on motorways decreased by 6%.

With fewer vehicles on the roads, travelling fewer miles, it comes as no surprise that the number of road accidents is also down – 7% lower, compared with the 12-month period ending September 2007.

As a result of the falling levels of traffic, journey times have also decreased.

Congestion on the strategic road network of inter-urban roads in England, which consists all motorways and trunk ‘A’ roads, fell by almost 10%.

Provisional figures for last year show that average vehicle delay on the slowest 10% of journeys fell to 3.52 from 3.9 minutes per 10 miles - a decrease of 9.8%.

Congestion in major towns and cities also fell last year.

Across the 10 urban areas measured by the DfT, the average vehicle journey time was 3.21 minutes per mile – 1% faster than in 2007.

More detailed traffic data are available from the website www.dft.gov.uk/matrix/