Professional driving instructor group Local Driving School have analysed Department for Transport 2021 data on road traffic collisions to reveal the areas, road types, conditions, and circumstances with a higher chance of an incident.
The most dangerous roads in the UK
To draw a fair comparison between different areas of the UK, the team looked at the casualty rate per billion vehicle miles driven. This shows how many accidents occur on the road per billion miles driving in the area highlighted.
The twenty areas with the highest casualty rate were all London Boroughs
Hackney took the top spot, with 2,828 casualties per billion vehicle miles. This is followed by Camden, then Westminster, with 2,511 and 2,429 casualties respectively.
Lambeth was fourth with 2,422 casualties per billion vehicle miles, followed by Islington with 2,348.
The first Borough to be beaten by another area of the UK is Greenwich, which is only trumped by Luton with 1,090 casualties.
Some areas of London carry less risk when driving. Hillingdon is the only Borough below the UK average casualty rate of 521. Havering is the next least dangerous place, with 612 casualties per billion vehicle miles driven, followed by Kingston upon Thames with 628.
The most and least dangerous roads in the UK, outside of London
Overall, Luton is the area with the most casualties per billion vehicle miles driven outside of London. Lancashire then debuts, with Blackburn seeing 916 casualties. Reading takes third spot with 889 casualties.
The coastal cities of Blackpool and Brighton & Hove take fourth and fifth, with 860 and 859 casualties per billion vehicle miles driven respectively.
The Isle of Wight is placed sixth, with 781. This is followed by Nottingham, then more coastal areas round out the top ten – Portsmouth, Kingston upon Hull, and Medway Towns.
The areas with the lowest road casualty rate
The Isles of Scilly have the lowest road casualty rate – because cars aren’t allowed onto these islands!
Aberdeenshire is the area with the second-lowest road casualty rate, with just 101 casualties per billion vehicle miles driven, over 5 times lower than the UK average.
Scotland continues the trend of being the safest place to drive in the UK, with the Shetland Islands coming third with 103, followed by Moray with 104, and Aberdeen City with 109.
The casualty rates across Yorkshire districts
While Local Driving School is based across the UK, many of our instructors are from God’s Own Country, working with learners in areas from Doncaster to Wakefield. We couldn’t help but look at accident rates across our top areas for teaching.
Overall, the most dangerous place for driving in Yorkshire is Hull. There are 732 casualties per billion vehicle miles driven on these roads, which also places Hull in the top ten riskiest areas to drive outside of London.
Bradford has the second-highest accident rate at 584, followed by Sheffield with 577. This is only slightly above the UK average casualty rate of 521 however.
The North Yorkshire region has the lowest casualty rate, with just 267 casualties per billion miles driven. Wakefield follows, with a low rate of 294 – almost half the accidents in Sheffield or Bradford.
Leeds, Rotherham, Doncaster, Barnsley, and York all have road accident rates far lower than the UK average, with Leeds the lowest of these with just 323 accidents per billion vehicle miles driven.
The road conditions and elements that change accident numbers
The team had a look at how different road conditions and factors from road type to junction types impacted the number of accidents over the last year.
The number of accidents in rural versus urban areas
Overall, two in three (67.7%) of accidents on UK roads occurred in urban areas. When in urban areas, watch out for hazards. There are far more pedestrians, cyclists, motorcycles, and other drivers in the urban environment than on country lanes.
Staying alert in urban areas is vital to avoiding these hazards and keeping yourself and those around you safe.
Which speed limit is the most dangerous?
In all, 57.2% of collisions took place on roads with speed limits between 21mph – 30mph. While drivers may associate higher speed roads with an increased risk to the driver, the 30mph urban road is where the majority of incidents occur. In comparison to the 52,204 accidents occurring on 30mph roads, just 2,581 incidents took place on motorways.
30mph roads are more dangerous than faster roads due to the increase in hazards found in densely populated urban areas. The speed limit is just that – a maximum limit – and you should drive at a speed at which you can effectively react to any hazards.
How do light levels affect accident rates?
The majority – 71.2% – of accidents occurred during daylight. However, more people drive in daylight hours. The second-highest category is driving during darkness where lights are present, where 21% of accidents occurred.
How do road surface conditions change accident rates?
Overall, 62,698 incidents occurred with dry road conditions, making up 68.7% of total accidents in 2020-2021. In comparison, 26,240 accidents occurred on a wet/damp surface. In all, 1,098 accidents or 1.2% of accidents happened on a road surface with frost, ice, flooding, or snow.
This data suggests that drivers may take more risks during dry conditions, while exercising more caution in worse conditions. Our instructors recommend staying alert and cautious in all conditions – don’t become complacent when the road is dry.
The type of junction where accidents are most likely to occur
Of the accidents involving a junction, T/staggered junctions were the type that was associated with the most incidents on the road. In all, 25,626 accidents occurred at this junction type.
When preparing to pull out from a T junction:
- Err on the side of caution when judging the speed of oncoming traffic.
- Check both ways are clear, ensuring no cars or hazards are hidden by your pillars.
- Stay alert for bikes, motorbikes, and pedestrians that are on the main road, or crossing in front of you.
Claire Davies, Marketing Manager at Local Driving School: “You are far more likely to face a hazard in a densely populated urban area. The motorway is fairly static regarding hazards – there aren’t cyclists, pedestrians, or other events occurring on the pavement.
“Always stay alert to any movement on the pavement. Take care driving past people walking erratically, and watch out for children near the roadside. As you approach people near a pedestrian crossing, slow in anticipation of someone stepping out.
“The use of mirrors is a necessity too. Check mirrors especially when turning or switching lanes in urban areas. In 2020, motorcycle, moped, and scooter sales rose by 11.4%, so drivers need to be more aware than ever before of motorcycles when changing lanes and turning.”
“The results show that incidents often happen when you least expect them. While more collisions occur in fair weather and daylight than in other road conditions, perhaps due to more drivers on the road at these times, this could also be due to a relaxing of hazard perception and situational awareness in the conditions deemed the safest.
“Always stay alert when driving – these results show incidents are far more likely to happen in normal conditions, on low-speed roads.”
Are UK roads becoming more dangerous?
Despite the numbers of accidents seen across all of these areas and conditions, UK roads are currently safer than ever before.
Last year, there were 91,199 accidents, down from 117,536 in 2019. While an element of this decrease will be due to lockdowns and reduced travel, the number of accidents on UK roads has been in steady decline since the figures were first recorded in 2004. Over twice as many accidents were recorded in 2004, when 207,410 accidents occurred on UK roads.
Local Driving School proudly commits to maintaining the highest standards for new driving training. The drivers have decades of experience teaching and hundreds of five star reviews from happy recently-passed drivers.
About Local Driving School
Local Driving School is a professional driving school franchise operating in over 20 towns and cities across the UK. Their lesson packages offer discounts for starters and a variety of vehicles to learn in, along with flexible lesson times with DVSA approved professional instructors. For weekly lessons or a driving refresh, book driving lessons online and progress at your own pace.
Since 2001, Local Driving School have built an excellent reputation as a reputable and trustworthy driving school throughout many different areas across the United Kingdom, including Chesterfield, Rotherham and Doncaster. Our experienced driving instructors are qualified to deliver the very best driving lessons to people of all ages.