Newly released figures indicate a continuing decline in the number of fatalities on Solihull's roads, though council officials warn a key safety goal for the end of the decade is likely to be missed.
A Downward Trend in Fatalities
Statistics from the Department for Transport show that between 2022 and 2024, there were nine road deaths within the borough. The breakdown reveals six fatalities in 2022, none in 2023, and three in 2024.
Provisional data for 2025, provided by West Midlands Police and covering the period up to July, records a single death so far this year.
The broader data, which categorises crashes as fatal, serious, or slight, shows a positive overall trend in collision numbers. In 2022 there were 370 crashes, falling to 340 in 2023 and 312 in 2024. The partial 2025 data shows 112 crashes up to July.
Accident Hotspots and Vulnerable Areas
The data has highlighted specific areas where people are more likely to be injured. Key hotspots identified are in the west of the borough, particularly around Solihull Town Centre, the A45 Coventry Road just west of M42 junction 6, and the A34 Stratford Road within the Shirley area.
Furthermore, residents of Smith’s Wood, Kingshurst, and Shirley are statistically the most likely to become a casualty in a road traffic collision.
The 2030 Target in Jeopardy
Solihull Council has formally adopted a target to achieve a 50 per cent reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured on local roads by 2030.
However, a council report presented to the Stronger Communities and Neighbourhood Services Scrutiny Board on November 11 delivered a sobering assessment. It stated: “There are still too many people being killed or seriously injured in RTCs across the borough.”
While acknowledging a downward trend in collisions since 2013, the report concluded that the current rate of improvement will not be sufficient to meet the 2030 target.
Paul Tovey, the council’s head of highway management, offered a mixed perspective at the meeting. He noted: “We have so few fatalities in Solihull, single figures year-on-year which is a good, strong position to be in. 2023 was the first year we had no fatalities in Solihull.”
Councillor Bob Grinsell echoed this, commenting: “It certainly seems we are doing a good job. Whilst one fatality is one too many, at least we can see in Solihull it is on a downward trend.”
The scrutiny board's chairman, Councillor Richard Holt, pointed to active measures as a reason for the general reduction. He said: “I think it is a good news story in terms of the general reduction in serious accidents. You can see how we have taken active steps, such as road calming measures, to reduce the risks.”
The meeting, where these figures were examined in detail, was held at the Civic Suite.
