New data showing the top ten UK cities with the highest road accident risk has been released. This helps us understand where collisions are most likely to happen.
To determine UK city road accident rankings, insurance experts Zego analysed ONS data, calculating the number of fatal and non-fatal accidents per 10,000 people with two, Northern cities coming out as clear accident hotspots.
| City | Number Of Accidents (Per 10,000 Residents) |
| Doncaster | 36.23 |
| Bradford | 36.11 |
| London | 25.70 |
| Wrexham | 24.19 |
| Brighton | 22.44 |
| Hull | 21.92 |
| Portsmouth | 20.87 |
| Derby | 20.55 |
| Nottingham | 20.28 |
| Birmingham | 19.89 |
Doncaster has the highest collision rate at 36.23 per 10,000 residents. Bradford follows closely behind. This shows the need for more caution on the roads in these cities.
Busy junctions, roundabouts, and main roads have higher risks for accidents. Main roads have fewer accidents compared to rural roads, but when accidents do occur on those main roads, they are often more serious or sometimes, fatal.
Notably, Aberdeen had the lowest accident rate at 2.78 per 10,000 people.
A Zego spokesperson pointed out that many high-risk cities are in England. They suggested that Scotland is the safest place for driving in the UK. This is based on the low accident rate in Aberdeen and the fact that no other Scottish cities are in the top ten for accidents.
How to improve road and vehicle safety
On the topic of road safety, we have written a blog on commercial vehicle accident rates in Europe, which analyses accident rates in several major European markets throughout 2023 and the first half of 2024.
We have also written a blog about bridge strikes in the UK. This blog points out the areas where bridge strikes happen most often and provides tips for drivers on how to avoid them in commercial vehicles.
They highlighted how important it is for drivers to stay alert, follow the Highway Code, ensure their vehicles are safe to drive, and be aware of their surroundings.
These actions are key for overall road safety.
For commercial vehicle drivers and operations, Transport Management Software is advised, as such software enhances commercial vehicle safety and efficiency through features like digital walkaround checks, defect reporting, and vehicle inspection scheduling.
These tools make fleets safer and help meet regulations. They also help vehicles last longer. This is important because accident rates for commercial vehicles are increasing in the UK and other countries.
HGV sat navs may also be used to calculate safe, efficient routes based on vehicle size and weight, preventing collisions with low bridges and unsuitable roads.
Or, integrating a TMS with telematics platforms like Teletrac Navman further strengthens compliance and safety by providing real-time vehicle tracking and data within the software.
There are plenty of options out there to help combat the risk of a road accident and improve the overall safety of our roads.
