The number of people killed on Britain's roads increased by 3% last year, official figures show.
Some 1,780 lives were lost in the 12 months to September, according to provisional data from the Department for Transport. This is an increase of 49 on the previous year.
Motoring traffic levels increased by 2.2% over the same period.
Steve Gooding, director of motoring research charity the RAC Foundation, said: "Forty- nine more people dying on the roads might not be statistically significant but try telling that to their family and friends.
"It is true that traffic is on the rise again and that might partly explain why the downward trend in road deaths has plateaued in recent years.
"But the pressing question is what do we now do to get back on track?"
The total number of incidents in which people were killed or seriously injured fell by 3% to 23,700.