All road deaths on motorways are investigated by the police authorities. Information on the deaths is summarised on a stats 19 form that contains detailed information on the contributing factors that led to the incident.
The data can then be disaggregated to allow analysis of specific factors influencing road user groups or causation trends and thus enrich research into ways that road death and serious injury can be reduced, not only on motorways but on all roads.
The Highways Agency also utilises road traffic accident statistics to provide the basis for assessing the effectiveness of road safety policies and the development of engineering design standards.