Around 27,500 people were killed or seriously injured in collisions on Britain’s roads in 2021, according to data released by the Department for Transport. Some 5,400 of those killed or seriously injured (KSIs) were pedestrians, and more than 4,400 were pedal cyclists.
But which parts of the UK are the most dangerous for road users, and how has that changed since the pandemic?
Where are the most dangerous roads in the UK?
The UK local authorities that saw the highest number of people KSIs in collisions on its roads – whether that be pedestrians, cyclists, drivers or passengers – was Hampshire, which saw 841 in 2021, followed by Kent and Lancashire which both saw around 750.
When adjusted for distance driven, it is London that leads the country’s most dangerous roads. Lambeth, Westminster and the City of London all saw more than 450 KSIs per billion miles driven.
Where in the country has the most dangerous roads for pedestrians and cyclists?
Lancashire tops the list of the highest number of pedestrians KSIs in road collisions, with over 150 in 2021, followed by Birmingham, Kent, Leeds and Essex, which all saw over 100.
Meanwhile, Hampshire and Surrey saw the highest numbers of pedal cyclist KSIs in collisions, both with over 140 in 2021.
In London, Westminster had the highest number of pedal cyclist and pedestrian KSIs. While Croydon saw a high number of pedestrians killed or seriously injured in collisions, places like Wandsworth, Southwark and Richmond saw higher numbers of cyclists KSI incidents.
London boroughs have seen huge changes to their road casualties over the past two years, caused by the pandemic.
Westminster saw the number of pedestrian KSIs in road collisions plummet during lockdown, from 102 in 2019 to 49 in 2020. In 2021, that number increased but is still 36% below the 2019 level.
Meanwhile, outer London boroughs like Croydon and Bromley have seen the number of pedestrian KSIs bounce back past the 2019 level.
[Read more: What are the top cities for commuting by bike?]
