Car crashes increased by 148 percent on some of the UK’s slowest roads in a major safety concern. Data from the Department for Transport Road Casualty report revealed that there were a total of 10,661 accidents on 20mph roads in 2018.
The data reveals that Greater London has recorded the highest number of 20mph road accidents over the past year.
A staggering 6,037 incidents were recorded in a massive 896 percent rise on the 606 crashes recorded in 2015.
Most of this is down to widespread road changes which have seen most local boroughs enforce the new 20mph speed laws.
Avon and Somerset were the next highest offenders with 786 accidents recorded in 2018 in a 41 percent increase.
She said: It’s been proven that 20mph zones help improve traffic flow and cut down on accidents, with the DfT’s own research suggesting 20mph zones work best when the average speed is below 24mph.
“But the zones have been largely despised by motorists, who find it painfully slow going to drive through them, which is probably why the limits are being roundly ignored.”
Recent data from ChooseMyCar revealed that accidents on 20 and 30mph roads accounted for almost two-thirds of all road crashes.
Their data found that 73,408 crashes were recorded on roads with low speed limits in figures almost five times higher than other road networks.
In comparison, just 4,566 crashes were recorded on motorways and 3,781 accidents on roads between 60 and 70mph,
Jess Hartley, a spokesperson for ChooseMyCar, said: “We all know to take extra care when driving on high-speed roads, but roads with lower speed limits can be just as dangerous, with lots of other vehicles, pedestrians and junctions to look out for.