Great Britain achieved the fourth lowest rate of road deaths per million inhabitants out of the 32 European countries recorded last year. However, with 24,831 serious road-related injuries and 170,993 road-related casualties of all severities in the UK last year alone, it is clear that road safety — whether that be through road improvements, driving education or vehicle innovation — still requires significant improvement in the years ahead.
This article is going to look at which UK counties are the most dangerous to drive in, as per statistics in the previous few years.
Accidents
‘Accident’ is a broad term that can apply to a variety of road incidents. Accidents do not always lead to fatalities, in fact they rarely do, and most will amount to very minor injuries or inconveniences. We will use ‘accident’ in this instance to refer to collisions of any type that caused the interruption of driving.
In 2016, Kinross-shire of Scotland had the highest accident rate in the UK, with a rate of 18 accidents per 1000 people. Interestingly, many of the other counties that make up the UK’s list of top 10 most dangerous are situated in the North of the UK. The list is as follows:
- Kinross-shire
- Dumfriesshire
- Anglesey
- Cumbria
- Cornwall
- Flintshire and West Lothian
- Pembrokeshire
- Durham
- Warwickshire
- Kent
Of this list, five counties are all closely related, perhaps highlighting an issue with the handling and maintenance of roads in the North.
Fatalities
Fatalities are of the worst types of accidents — serious collisions or incidents that involve one or more deaths. Interestingly, UK fatalities between the years 2012 and 2016 aren’t condensed to Northern UK areas. In fact, the results are hugely diverse, with each of the top four counties with the most road fatalities hailing from different UK countries. The number one spot goes to Rutland of East England. This county saw 5.181 fatal accidents per 10,000 residents in the years between 2012 and 2016. Second place was Powys in Wales, with 4.312 fatal accidents per 10,000 residents. Third came Fermanagh & Omagh across the pond in Northern Ireland, with 4.150 fatal accidents per 10,000 residents. Finally, we move all the way up North to Scotland, where Orkney Islands recorded 4.11 fatal accidents per 10,000 of its residents.
What can be done?
It’s important to note that there are various factors which contribute towards higher accident and fatality rates. One of these factors is the availability of high quality MOT, repair and maintenance services. Oaks Services offer all of these services by expert mechanics at highly competitive rates. By offering various deals, including 50% off MOT testing, we make annual servicing more widely available to all customers, ultimately leading to safer driving, fewer accidents and fewer fatalities.
Here at Oak’s Services, we’re passionate about ensuring our customers enjoy the highest levels of safety on the roads. By taking advantage of our many offers, customers throughout Surrey can obtain professional analysis of their vehicles, along with transparent and honest recommendations on what needs to be fixed. Our expert team will then repair your vehicle efficiently and safely, giving you the confidence to get back on the roads again. If you wish to learn more about any of our wide range of services, give our friendly team a call today.
