The number of people killed on Britain’s roads is continuing to fall.

Official figures just published show that there was a 14% reduction in the numbers killed on Britain’s roads last year.

The reduction comes on top of a significant decline in 2007, which saw the numbers dying on our roads dip below 3,000 for the first time in four decades with 2,946 deaths.

Last year, that number fell again to 2,538, some 5,000 less than the peak in the early 1970s, according to figures from the Department for Transport.

Kevin Clinton, RoSPA head of road safety, said: “This new record low shows that the fall in road deaths is a trend, not a statistical blip.”

But Professor Stephen Glaister, director of the RAC Foundation, added: "What is not immediately clear is why such a fall has been achieved now."

One possibility is the reduction in traffic.

Stats just published show that traffic travelled 4.1 billion fewer kilometres (down almost 1%) last year.

This is the first fall since 1979, although it is still an 11% increase over the decade from 1998.

In addition, while there is less traffic it is also travelling slower, especially in built-up areas.

Ten years ago, 69% of cars travelled in excess of the 30mph limit, but by 2008 this dropped to less than half.

This is all leading to a reduction in crashes.

In total, there were 170,500 crashes involving personal injury reported to the police in 2008, 6% fewer than in 2007.

Of these, 25,457 accidents involved death or serious injury.

Car drivers are still the most likely to die on the roads, accounting for almost half - 1,257 – of deaths last year.

However, this was 12% less than in 2007 – a decline that can be attributed in part to the 1% fall in traffic over the period and higher levels of vehicle safety.

However, the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has warned against complacency. Its director of policy and research, Neil Greig, said: "The challenge for the Government is to provide a safe and modern road network and for motorists to take more responsibility for their safety by treating driving as a skill for life."

Nine years ago, the Government’s road safety strategy set strict targets for reducing casualties.

The strategy ends this year, with the latest figures confirming the targets have been met or surpassed.

The first target of a 40% reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured in road accidents compared with the average for 1994-98 has now been achieved.

The second target of a 50% reduction in the number of children killed or seriously injured has been exceeded – there has been a 59% reduction.

The target of a10% reduction in the number of people slightly injured has also been exceeded, after the latest stats show a 36% fall.

However, DfT research has shown that a significant proportion of non-fatal injury accidents are not reported to the police.

In addition some casualties reported to the police are not recorded and the severity of injury tends to be underestimated.

The Department is undertaking further research to investigate this.

Earlier this year, the Government also published proposals for its post-2010 road safety strategy. A consultation on new tougher proposed targets is now underway.