A new ranking has revealed which UK cities have had the most road accidents - with Chichester named the worst.
The ranking looked at the number of fatal accidents, as well as total reported road accidents in each area. According to government stats there’s an average of five daily fatalities on UK roads - Chichester was revealed as the deadliest city with the most fatalities. A spokesperson from Claims.co.uk provides advice on how drivers can prioritise their safety, particularly when visiting high-risk areas
A new study reveals that Chichester is the most accident-prone city in the UK, using data on the number of reported road accidents and fatalities to identify the riskiest area for drivers.
The ranking, created by accident compensation experts Claims.co.uk, awarded each city a score out of ten, based on road accidents and fatality rates reported over the last year.
For most, driving isn’t a dangerous activity, but according to data from gov.uk an average of five people die and 84 are seriously injured every day on UK roads. Within cities, drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians are often at risk on busy urban roads – particularly in high-traffic areas.
As it turns out, Chichester is the most accident-prone city, as it scored highest within the ranking, with an average score of 6.9 out of 10.
Chichester scored as the most accident-prone city due to their high number of total road accidents and fatalities. The city had the highest number of fatalities, 5.6 fatal accidents per 100K residents, indicating Chichester is not just dangerous for drivers but also deadly.
Additionally, Chichester had the second-highest number of total reported road collisions, with 232 accidents per 100K - a shocking 54% higher than the national average of 151 accidents.
Westminster ranked as the second-most accident-prone city with an average score of 6.7 out of 10. The city had by far the highest number of total road accidents, at 560 accidents per 100K residents - a staggering 271% more than the national average.
Despite Westminster's high number of road accidents, the city scored surprisingly low for its number of fatalities, with just 2.0 per 100K residents - coming in 24th place within the ranking. This indicates that although you’re more likely to be in an accident, it’s unlikely to be deadly.
The city with the third most accidents is Winchester, with a score of 6.5 out of 10. The city had the second-highest number of fatal accidents, with 5.5 per 100K residents. What’s more, they ranked eighth for total road collisions, with 196 per 100K.
Winchester had a much higher rate of accidents than the national average, by 30%, but they still came in much lower than Westminster by 364 collisions.
In fourth place, Peterborough scored 5.3 out of 10. The city had 151 accidents per 100K, which is exactly the same as the national average, however, they scored much higher for fatalities, with 5.3 per 100K - which is 165% higher than the national average of 2.
Finally, Stirling ranked in fifth place with a score of 5.3 out of 10. Similarly, to Peterborough Stirling ranked highly for fatalities, with 5.3 per 100K, making it another potentially deadly city to drive in.
Surprisingly, despite Stirling’s high number of fatalities they scored much lower for the total number of road collisions, with just 81 per 100K - this is a shocking 46% lower than the national average.
The ten most accident-prone cities for drivers ranked:
On the other end of the scale, the city that was named the least accident-prone for drivers was Cardiff, with a score of 0.7 out of 10. They had just 0.3 fatal accidents per 100k and just 74 total accidents per 100K - making them one of the safest cities for drivers in the UK.
Following closely behind Cardiff is Aberdeen with a score of 0.8 out of 10. They had the lowest number of total accidents, at just 26 per 100K residents - revealing them one of the best cities to avoid road collisions.
Ranking as the third safest city is Dundee with a score of 1.1 out of 10. They had extremely low numbers of fatalities, with just 0.7 fatalities per 100K people.
Following closely behind are Edinburgh and Norwich, scoring 1.1 out of 10 and 1.3 out of 10, respectively. Norwich scored the lowest for the number of fatal accidents, as they did not receive a single fatal accident across the year.
Commenting on the findings, a spokesperson from Claims.co.uk says: “It’s crucial that all drivers, whether a resident or visitor, recognize the elevated risks in areas that report high rates of accidents – particularly Chichester, Westminster, and Winchester.”
“The cities with the most fatalities are particularly concerning, indicating not just unsafe roads but also deadly. It’s important to remain vigilant in these areas when driving to ensure the safety of both passengers and pedestrians.”
“For those of you who are residing in or visiting Chichester, be especially attentive on the roads, as it had the highest number of fatalities.”