Cardiff is the safest city to drive in Britain, study shows

Cardiff has the lowest proportion of road accidents of any city in Britain, according to a new study.

A league table produced by the accident compensation website Claims.co.uk awarded each city a score out of 10, based on road accidents and fatality rates reported over the last year.

For most, driving isn’t a dangerous activity, but according to official data an average of five people die and 84 are seriously injured every day on UK roads. Within cities, drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians are often at risk on busy urban roads, particularly in high-traffic areas.

The least accident-prone city was Cardiff, with a score of 0.7 out of 10. It had just 0.3 fatal accidents per 100k and 74 total accidents per 100K, making it the city with the safest roads in Britain.

Other Welsh cities were less safe, with Newport scoring 1.9, Swansea 3.0 and Wrexham 3.4.

Closely behind Cardiff was Aberdeen with a score of 0.8 out of 10. It had the lowest number of total accidents, at just 26 per 100K residents.

The third safest city was Dundee with a score of 1.1 out of 10. It had extremely low numbers of deaths, with just 0.7 per 100K people.

Following closely behind were Edinburgh and Norwich, scoring 1.1 out of 10 and 1.3 out of 10, respectively. Norwich scored the lowest for the number of fatal accidents, as it did not have a single fatal accident across the year.

At the other end of the table, Chichester was the most accident-prone city, as it scored highest within the ranking, with an average score of 6.9 out of 10.

Chichester scored as the most accident-prone city due to its high number of total road accidents and fatalities. The city had the highest number of road deaths, with 5.6 per 100K residents, indicating that Chichester is not just dangerous for drivers but also deadly.

Additionally, Chichester had the second highest number of total reported road collisions, with 232 accidents per 100K – a shocking 54% higher than the national average of 151 accidents.

Westminster

Westminster ranked as the second-most accident-prone city with an average score of 6.7 out of 10. The city had by far the highest number of total road accidents, at 560 accidents per 100K residents – a staggering 271% more than the national average.

Despite Westminster’s high number of road accidents, the city scored surprisingly low for its number of deaths, with just 2.0 per 100K residents – coming in 24th place within the ranking. This indicates that although you’re more likely to be in an accident, it’s unlikely to be deadly.

The city with the third most accidents is Winchester, with a score of 6.5 out of 10. It had the second highest number of fatal accidents, with 5.5 per 100K residents. What’s more, it ranked eighth for total road collisions, with 196 per 100K.

Winchester had a much higher rate of accidents than the national average, by 30%, but it still came in much lower than Westminster by 364 collisions. In fourth place, Peterborough scored 5.3 out of 10. The city had 151 accidents per 100K, which is exactly the same as the national average. However, it scored much higher for deaths, with 5.3 per 100K – 165% higher than the national average of 2.

Stirling ranked in fifth place with a score of 5.3 out of 10. Similarly to Peterborough, Stirling ranked highly for deaths, with 5.3 per 100K, making it another potentially deadly city to drive in.

Surprisingly, despite Stirling’s high number of fatalities it scored much lower for the total number of road collisions, with just 81 per 100K – a shocking 46% lower than the national average.

Commenting on the findings, a spokesman for Claims.co.uk said: “It’s crucial that all drivers, whether residents or visitors, recognise the elevated risks in areas that report high rates of accidents – particularly Chichester, Westminster, and Winchester.”

“The cities with the most deaths are particularly concerning, indicating not just unsafe roads but ones that are also deadly. It’s important to remain vigilant in these areas when driving to ensure the safety of both passengers and pedestrians.

“For those residing in or visiting Chichester, it’s important to be especially attentive on the roads, as it had the highest number of deaths.”