Revealed: Britain’s most dangerous roads
The M6 and the A8(M) – the UK’s longest and shortest motorways – have been exposed as the most dangerous roads in Britain, with more accidents taking place on them than any other roads.
New research by leasing specialist UK Carline, used a series of Freedom of Information requests to uncover the facts.
The study revealed that the M6, which stretches 232 miles from Leicestershire to the Scottish borders and is at the centre of the UK motorway network, and the 280-mile-long A8(M) in Scotland have on average five car accidents each week – one every weekday.
The A30 in Devon (213 crashes), A35 in Dorset (173), and the A46 in Warwickshire (123) are next in the list of most dangerous roads.
Top 10 most dangerous roads in Britain
Location | Road | Number of accidents |
Cheshire/Warwicks | M6 | 227 |
Scotland | A8(M) | 227 |
Devon | A30 | 213 |
Dorset | A35 | 173 |
Warwickshire | A46 | 123 |
Staffordshire | A34 | 112 |
Greater Manchester | Manchester Road | 100 |
West Mercia | A49 | 106 |
Cheshire | A49 | 92 |
Northampton | M1 | 58 |
Overall, Scotland was revealed as the area that recorded the highest number of car incidents, clocking up 6,253. Manchester was second, with 1,775 crashes in one year.
Top 10 worst areas for accidents
Location | Total number of accidents |
Scotland | 6,253 |
Greater Manchester | 1,775 |
Devon | 1,707 |
West Mercia | 1,496 |
South Yorkshire | 1,211 |
Cheshire | 1,145 |
Staffordshire | 1,120 |
Warwickshire | 1,077 |
Humberside | 792 |
Norfolk | 669 |
“Our research certainly produced some eye-opening statistics regarding the safety of UK roads,” said Jonathan Nolan of UK Carline.
“Although the government and councils regularly enforce new driving laws and take steps to help people drive safely, we must take more care whilst driving and ensure our vehicles have adequate safety features.
“We hope our research has brought to light the dangers of driving on these particular roads and encourage people to be more aware of their surroundings to protect their safety.”