Southern regions see highest increase in road casualty rates with over 130,000 affected
New figures have found that more than 130,000 road casualties took place on the UK's roads during 2023, with some areas facing significant increases.
The vehicle leasing company Moneybarn Car Finance has ranked the most dangerous areas for road casualties across the UK.
According to data sourced from the Department for Transport, 130,440 road casualties took place during 2023, with many parts of the country seeing significant rises in the number of incidents.
The company found that the worst area for road casualties during the 12-month period was Kent, which saw 3,457 excluding Medway towns such as Gillingham and Rochester.
Moneybarn Car Finance noted that one of the reasons why the area ranked so high on the list is due to the high population, with many motorists travelling to different towns and London.
Also in the south, Surrey ranked second on the list, recording 2,783 casualties on the county’s roads during 2023.
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Top 10 Worst Local Authorities for Road Casualties in 2023:
- Kent (excl Medway Towns) – 3,457
- Surrey – 2,783
- Birmingham – 2,383
- Essex (excl Southend and Thurrock) – 2,377
- Hampshire (excl Portsmouth and Southampton) – 2,278
- Lancashire (excl Blackburn and Blackpool) – 2,159
- West Sussex – 1,826
- Hertfordshire – 1,780
- Lincolnshire – 1,604
- Leeds – 1,585
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However, whilst many areas faced a rise in the number of road casualties during 2023, other parts of the country have seen rates fall significantly.
The biggest change found by Moneybarn Car Financing was in Stoke on Trent, which experienced a 72.7 percent drop in cases between 2019 and 2023.
Various parts of Scotland have also seen road casualty rates fall, including Inverclyde, East Dunbartonshire and the Western Isles.
Moneybarn Car Financing also highlighted that the majority of accidents that take place on the UK’s roads occur at slower speeds.
According to their research, nearly 54 percent of road accidents occurred on roads where the speed limit was 30mph, with a further 15.5 percent taking place on 20mph areas.
The company also found that collisions on 20mph roads increased by 55 percent from 2019 to 2023, possibly helped by the speed limit being rolled out on urban roads in parts of Wales and Scotland.
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