The number of people being killed or seriously injured on the UK's roads fell sharply in 2012, new figures published by the Department for Transport have confirmed.

Police were informed of 1,754 road deaths last year, which was an eight per cent drop on 2011 - the lowest figure since records were first taken way back in 1926.

The number of people being seriously injured in crashes dipped by 0.4 per cent over the same period, with 23,039 motorists being badly hurt. This was a 15 per cent improvement on the 2005-09 average, suggesting that things are moving in the right direction.

According to the figures, child casualties declined by 11 per cent year-on-year in 2012.

European and UK leaders are keen to see a dramatic reduction in road collisions and a number of safety initiatives have been launched in order to achieve this - many of which have been aimed at the logistics industry.

By September 2014, HGV drivers must have worked towards Driver Certificate of Professional Competence accreditation, while the European Commission recently urged lorry manufacturers to hone their vehicle designs to minimise the impact of crashes.