Pedestrian road deaths 'unacceptably high'

The West Midlands' road safety commissioner has said the number of pedestrians killed on the region's streets remains "unacceptably high".

Mat MacDonald made the comment while presenting data to West Midlands Combined Authority's Transport Delivery Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

The number of pedestrian fatalities in the region stood at 21 in 2025 – making up almost half of the 50 road deaths overall for the year.

MacDonald said that was "a completely unacceptable proportion".

The wider data tracks the number of people killed or seriously injured (KSI) on the roads network, with 1,078 in 2025 compared to 1,157 recorded in 2024.

But while that number was smaller and had been reducing over the past few years, MacDonald said the more specific grouping of pedestrian deaths was trending the wrong way.

"Obviously, it bears remembering that behind each of these numbers is an avoidable tragedy which has torn apart the lives of family, friends and communities of those around the individual affected," he said.

"Nationally, the average of pedestrian fatalities as a proportion of KSIs sits around 25%.

"In 2022, we were near that but in the last two years that number has risen significantly. The figures remain unacceptably high."

"Clusters" have also been found where two or more pedestrians have been killed in the same location.

A total of 20 were identified, with three quarters of them being in Birmingham and none in Dudley.

MacDonald said work was being carried out to investigate the cause of deaths, looking at issues such as locations where incidents were taking place and looking at pedestrian crossing facilities to see whether they were suitable.

But he said a lot more work was needed to tackle the problem and highlighted initiatives being undertaken across the region.

He said: "Since 2022, our fatalities have reduced - 2022 was a particular nadir in these figures.

"We must be cautious to not over interpret this as a trend without us doing extra things to make sure we are properly protecting people as they travel."

MacDonald said average speed enforcement was a useful tool and reduced personal injury collisions by 39%. He also said driver education and road infrastructure should be improved.

The commissioner said the West Midlands Combined Authority was developing a speed management protocol in partnership with transport safety consultancy company Agilysis.

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