The most dangerous roads in the UK

The majority of accidents take place on urban roads in towns and cities and at lower speeds, according to new research.

Using Department for Transport statistics, choosemycar.com found that London has the highest proportion of road accidents, but the lowest rate of fatal ones.

The research also found that, while two-thirds of accidents take place on roads with a speed limit of 30mph or less, a third of fatal accidents take place on those with a 51-60mph speed limit. T or staggered junctions are the most dangerous in the UK, accounting for almost a quarter of accidents.

London has 25,662 reported collisions in the space of a year, which works out at 2,881 for every million people, more than any other region. 

Drivers in Scotland were the safest, with just 1,178 accidents per million people, which is more than half as many as in London.

When it comes to the most serious of accidents, London has the lowest proportion, with just 12 per million residents, while the East Midlands had the most, with 37.

Two-thirds of accidents occur on roads with a speed limit of 30mph or less, with the vast majority (60%) of these coming on roads with a speed limit of between 21 and 30 mph.

The data shows that accidents at higher speeds are more likely to be fatal. For example, while 12% of total accidents take place on 51-60 mph roads, the percentage of fatal accidents on these roads is much higher, at 32%.

A very low number of accidents actually take place on our motorways, with just 3% of total accidents and 5% of fatal ones.

Accidents are most likely to happen on A-roads, with 44% of total accidents and 56% of fatal accidents taking place on an A-road.

Roundabouts only account for 8% of the UK’s road accidents.

Click here to read the full research.

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