Driving On The Most Dangerous UK Roads
For the majority of us, driving is an everyday necessity or even a fundamental part of a career. However, you may be shocked to learn a quiet rural road in Wales is considered the most dangerous road in the UK, surprising many locals who regularly use it.
Research suggests Carmarthen East and Dinefwr in Wales have the most dangerous roads in the UK as they have the highest fatality and injury rates across the UK in relation to the population. In 2014 alone, the county of Carmarthenshire saw 89 serious injuries and 519 minor injuries from motor accidents, but what makes this road more fatal and accident prone than any other?
The safety of a road is largely affected by its location. Many people believe motorways to be the most dangerous travel route due to the high speed and the number of motorists using them on a daily basis. When an accident does occur, it affects more people and often gains media coverage, giving the illusion that they are exceptionally dangerous. However, motorways are actually the safest road type and report the lowest number of accidents. The speed limit may be higher than other roads, but it is consistent and sees everyone travelling at the same or similar speeds, on long stretches of roads with fewer bends and a much safer system for overtaking.
Rural areas tend to have a much higher accident occurrence rate for a number of reasons. There are fewer safety regulations in place and speed limits are often d-restricted. On rural routes drivers are much more likely to come across potential hazards. The narrow winding path of the roads does not always accommodate enough room for two cars to pass one another and the restricted vision of the road ahead can often prevent motorists from overtaking larger, slower vehicles, such as tractors and trailers.
In general the quality of the road is poorer than that of a motorway or urban road. Back roads are notorious for potholes and poor maintenance despite experiencing significant numbers of traffic passing through on a daily basis.
A report from 2010 found that over the course of the year, 1,043 people were involved in a fatal accident on rural roads in comparison to 113 on the motorway.
However, don’t let these facts and figures deter you from using them, a road can become much safer if you adapt your driving to suit the familiarity, location and potential hazards.
Whilst there are many dangerous roads across the UK, there is of course, a safest road.
The safest UK road is reported to be in Bath; drivers have half the rate of serious road accidents in comparison with the national average. At 51% lower, Bath’s rate of serious road incidents was the lowest across all of the UK.
Certain measurements can be taken to ensure you have a safe driving experience. As a driver recruitment agency, we would advise all drivers to leave plenty of time for a journey and to be aware of road surroundings. We ensure that all of our drivers undergo correct and intensive training to maintain a high quality of driving, helping to make the roads safer.
