Portsmouth named 8th riskiest place to drive in England
New research has revealed the most dangerous areas to drive in outside London.
- Portsmouth holds 8th place in the national study with an average of 899 traffic collisions per billion vehicle miles.
- The city ranks as more dangerous for drivers than its neighbor Southampton (9th) and nearby Reading (10th).
- Portsmouth recorded its highest collision rate in 2020 with 985 incidents per billion miles.
The study by Auto Finance Online, which analysed official road safety statistics from the Office for National Statistics, identified the areas with the highest rate of traffic collisions per billion vehicle miles travelled , with data being studied from 2019 to 2024.
Portsmouth Road Safety Study Results
Portsmouth occupies the 8th position in the report on the most dangerous areas to drive outside London. According to the research, the city averaged 899 collisions per billion vehicle miles between 2019 and 2024. While the rate peaked in 2020, it dropped to its lowest level of 852 in 2024. Despite this improvement, Portsmouth remains riskier than neighboring Southampton, which recorded 827 collisions per billion miles.
Brighton and Hove came in as the most dangerous area, with 1,088 collisions per billion vehicle miles on average between 2019 and 2024. 2021 was the most dangerous year, with 1,178 collisions per billion miles.
Kingston upon Hull ranked as the second most dangerous area, with 1,060 collisions per billion miles. 2019 was the most dangerous year, with 1,115 collisions per billion vehicle miles.
Slough took third place with 1,010 collisions per billion miles, with 2021 coming in as the most dangerous year, with 1,060 collisions.
Luton came in fourth place with 971 collisions per billion miles, with 2020 coming in as the most dangerous year, with 1,082 collisions per billion vehicle miles.
Blackpool and the Isles of Scilly tied for fifth place with 966 collisions each. In Blackpool, 2021 was the most dangerous year, with 1,094 collisions, while in the Isles of Scilly, 2023 was the most dangerous year, with 2,199 collisions.
Matthew Edwards, Managing Director at Auto Finance Online, said, "While many might have expected figures to be lower in 2020 and 2021 due to ongoing lockdowns and thus fewer cars on the road, in some areas, this isn’t even the case, with some areas even having their highest figures yet in that timeframe. The range of regions highlights that there are some areas where even unprecedented events don't have much of an effect on dangerous driving conditions on the road, and that collisions will still happen at an alarming rate, even with fewer road users."