New data has revealed that the top 10 hazardous driving hotspots in Great Britain include Leeds, Bradford, Kirklees and Calderdale.
The study, conducted by accident compensation experts Claims.co.uk, examined GOV.UK data on the number of licence points in each British local authority as of May 2024. The local and unitary authorities with the highest percentage of drivers with points on their licences have been named in the top 10 most dangerous areas.
Yorkshire is home to four local authorities with the most irresponsible drivers, while the Shetland Islands, the City of London, the Isles of Scilly, Cambridge, and Orkney Islands have the fewest points on the licences, according to the study.
Gloucester takes the crown as the local authority with the most irresponsible drivers. The area is home to 118,233 drivers with a combined total of 41,407 points on their licences, this equates to 8.98% of all drivers, 62.6% above the national average of 5.52%.
In second place, 207,663 licenced drivers are based in Plymouth. Together, they have 73,566 points on their licences, which equates to 8.69% of all drivers; 57.4% more than the average across Britain.
West Yorkshire’s Kirklees ranks third, with 8.48% of drivers having points on their licence. As of May 2024, 333,816 drivers had 116,181 points collectively. Therefore, drivers in Kirklees are 51.8% more likely to be a liability on the road.
Calderdale is home to the joint-fourth most hazardous drivers in Great Britain. In the West Yorkshire-based local authority, 160,641 people with a full driver’s licence had 55,434 points on their licences altogether. This works out to 8.47% of drivers, 53.4% above the national benchmark.
Also tying in fourth place is Lincolnshire’s South Holland. According to the study, the local authority is home to 73,927 drivers having 24,798 points collectively, equating to 8.47% of all drivers, 53.4% above the average in Britain.
According to the study, Newport is home to the fifth deadliest drivers in Britain. Based in Wales, 119,800 drivers have 40,134 points on their licences collectively. This equates to 8.25% of all drivers, 49.4% above the national benchmark.
North Devon ranks in sixth. In total, 8.16% of drivers have points on their licences, 47.8% higher than the average across Britain. This works out to be 25,589 points between 82,191 drivers in the area.
Telford and Wrekin rank seventh, with 148,315 drivers having 45,960 points collectively; equating to 8.02% of all drivers. Therefore, drivers in the West Yorkshire local authority are 45.2% more likely to incur points on their licences when compared with other drivers across Britain.
In eighth place is Bradford, with 7.84% of all drivers having points on their licences, followed by Leeds in ninth, with 7.83%. Mansfield is the tenth most dangerous driving hotspot in Great Britain, with 7.82% of all drivers incurring points on average.
However, drivers in the Shetland Islands have the fewest points on their licences on average. According to GOV.UK, 18,295 drivers with full licences have a collective number of 1,429 points, averaging 2.1% of all drivers, 61.9% less than the benchmark.
The City of London follows in second, with 2.42% of drivers having points on their licences. As of May 2024, 5,871 drivers had 535 points between them. Therefore, drivers in the local authority are 56.1% less likely to be a liability on the road.
According to the study, the Isles of Scilly ranks third, with 2.6% of drivers having points on their licences. Cambridge is the fourth most responsible local authority, with 2.85% of drivers, followed by the Orkney Islands, with 3.08% of drivers incurring points.
A spokesperson for Claims.co.uk has commented on the findings: “Reckless driving endangers lives, as research by GOV.UK shows that there were 133,443 casualties due to road collisions in the year ending June 2023. Therefore, drivers must stay aware on the road and follow safety guidelines, including driving with insurance and staying in line with national and regional speed limits, as failing to do so can result in points.
“This campaign has highlighted the most dangerous local authorities for drivers. Gloucester is the number one most hazardous driving capital, although it is interesting to see local authorities from across the nation make the top 10, including Leeds and North Devon. This indicates that drivers should be vigilant in both larger and smaller locations across Great Britain.”
