Figures reveal Yorkshire's blackspots for serious and fatal road collisions

Data obtained through Freedom of Information requests revealed there were more than 670,000 accidents causing injury or death in England, Scotland and Wales between January 2014 and December 2018.

The number fell by a sixth in the five-year period, although figures for 2018 showed there were an average of 336 accidents causing death or injury happen every day on roads across Britain.

On Britain’s biggest roads (A-roads and motorways) throughout this five-year period, there was an average of 10.4 accidents causing injury or death per mile.

Meanwhile, there are an average of 439 casualties a day, according to the figures from 2018.

The numbers also showed male drivers aged between 26 and 31 were statistically most likely to be involved in a collision, with Friday rush hours on A roads the most frequent time and location for accidents.

The most number of serious collisions nationally is the A1 and A1(M) according to the data, with 4,582 accidents resulting in injuries or death between the beginning of 2014 and the end of 2018.

The M606 through Kirklees has been named Yorkshire's most hazardous stretch of motorway, with 30.9 accidents resulting in casualties per square mile on the short stretch connecting the M62 at junction 26 to Bradford between 2014 and the end of 2018.

Meanwhile, three arterial roads in Hull were named as having the most accidents resulting in casualties per square mile, which were the the A1079 (90.2 accidents per square mile), the A165 (63.8) and the A1105 (63.6).

Other accident blackspots included the A6181 and A6177 through Bradford, the A1036 through York and the A6022 through Doncaster.

Huddersfield-based charity Brake, which supports victims of road accidents, has said more needs to be done to bring dangerous drivers to justice, while the Department for Transport (DfT) has claimed it is making vital improvements to some of the country’s most dangerous stretches of road.

A spokesman for Brake said there were steps drivers could take to prevent accidents, such as slowing down, not using mobile phones when driving and getting their eyesight tested regularly.

But the spokesman added that there needed to be “greater investment in road traffic enforcement so that people who do drive dangerously and break the law, endangering themselves and all other road users, are caught and punished”.

The DfT said allocation of crime-fighting resources is a matter for chief constables, in conjunction with police and crime commissioners.

The department said that busier roads will have a higher number of accidents but that “vital improvements” were being made to the road networks.

A spokesman said: “We are committed to improving road safety across the country, and the Safer Roads Fund will provide vital improvements to the 50 most dangerous stretches of road in England.

“In addition, we launched a Road Safety Action Plan last year which set out more than 70 measures to reduce the number of people killed and injured on our roads.”