A new study has discovered the top 10 cities in the UK with the highest risk of road accidents, with Doncaster taking the top spot.
Taxi insurance experts at Zego analysed ONS data to find the number of road accidents in each UK city in 2021, both fatal and non-fatal. The number of accidents was calculated for every 10,000th person to determine the ranking.
| Rank | City | Number of road accidents per 10,000 people |
| 1 | Doncaster | 36.23 |
| 2 | Bradford | 36.11 |
| 3 | London | 25.70 |
| 4 | Wrexham | 24.19 |
| 5 | Brighton | 22.44 |
| 6 | Hull | 21.92 |
| 7 | Portsmouth | 20.87 |
| 8 | Derby | 20.55 |
| 9 | Nottingham | 20.28 |
| 10 | Birmingham | 19.89 |
Taking the top spot for the cities with the most risk of road accidents is Doncaster. The city experienced 573 accidents in one year, with 7 of these being fatal, making that 36.23 for every 10,000th person.
Bradford is in second place. The city has 36.11 road accidents per 10,000 people after seeing 1059 in total in just one year, and 11 of these were fatal.
In third place is London. The capital saw a staggering amount of 23,139 road accidents, 73 of which were fatal, equating to 25.70 for every 10,000th person.
Wrexham places fourth in the ranking. There was a total of 149 road accidents, including 4 fatal collisions, making that 24.19 per 10,000 people.
In fifth place is Brighton which saw 620 road accidents, with 2 of these being fatal. The city has 22.44 collisions for every 10,000th person.
Hull takes the sixth spot. The city experienced 584 road accidents, 8 being fatal, which works out at 21.92 per 10,000 people.
Following closely behind is Portsmouth in seventh place, which has 20.87 road accidents for every 10,000th person. In total, the city saw 428 collisions with 5 of these being fatal.
In eighth place is Derby. For every 10,000 people, the city has 20.55 accidents after seeing 511 collisions – in fact, 4 of these were fatal.
Next is Nottingham in ninth place. Citizens of the city experienced 652 road accidents in total, including 3 fatal collisions, equating to 20.28 per 10,000 people.
Birmingham is in tenth place, which has 19.89 road accidents for every 10,000th person. Out of the 2137 total collisions, 26 of these were unfortunately fatal.
On the other hand, Aberdeen has the least risk of road accidents, with just 2.78 per 10,000 people.
A spokesperson from Zego has commented on the findings: “The reason for the high risk of road accidents in these cities isn’t clear, but it’s certainly interesting to see that nine of the top ten cities are in England. On top of that, with no Scottish cities ranking in the top ten as well as Aberdeen having the least risk of accidents, it appears that Scotland is the safest country in the UK for driving.
“With that being said, it’s absolutely crucial to stay alert when driving wherever you are to avoid causing a collision and to protect yourself from dangerous drivers. Following the highway code, making sure your vehicle is roadworthy, and being aware of your surroundings are vital for road safety.”
This information was provided by Zego, specialist insurance experts providing opportunities for delivery and private hire taxi drivers.
