An official analysis of Department for Transport data for all traffic collisions recorded between 2012 and 2021 reveals that the right turn is the leading cause of all British motor accidents. In fact, the right turn is responsible for 186,009 accidents. Statistically speaking, it is, therefore, the most dangerous manoeuvre possible to perform on the British roads.
A Dangerous Trick to Try
According to the report, the second most dangerous thing you can do in a car is try to stop or slow down. This was recorded as being responsible for 130,709 accidents in the recorded period. The third most dangerous manoeuvre was being held up while waiting to pull away in your car. This was responsible for roughly 112,756 recorded incidents.
All of the data was also collected for both light and heavy goods vehicles. These were seen to have faced the biggest number of accident risks when they both turn right and slow down. For these types of vehicles, the issues with being held up are typically not present - the riskiest scenario is instead collisions which occur when the vehicle is parked.
Motorcycle Accidents
The average motorcycle rider faces a unique set of dangers and challenges in contrast.
The statistics collected highlight that when overtaking another moving vehicle on its offside, this is the most dangerous action a motorcycle can take. Between 2012 and 2021, this can account for 14,324 different incidents.
Motorcycles were themselves involved in 10,003 collisions whilst slowing down or stopping. However, the next most dangerous manoeuvre for a biker is actually to come around a left-hand bend, which is where 8,992 of all collisions take place.
The pedal cyclists among our readers should be aware that turning right is still the biggest cause of accidents for the data analysed. Some 10,070 collisions were recorded. The second-most dangerous action was moving off, at 4911 collisions, and cycling around a right-handed bend, with 4643 collisions.
Forbes Advisor has been taking a look at the data provided by the department of transport data, and has been closely examining which type of vehicles were involved in collisions. Their goal was to identify if there were certain types of vehicles used in collisions more than others.
Their reports show that HGV vehicles are actually up to six times more likely than average to be in an accident, most specifically when changing lanes to either the left or right. Furthermore, motorcycles are more likely to have accidents when trying to overtake other vehicles, as the reports say that they can be up to 4x more likely than the average vehicle to be involved in a collision.
All of this information will hopefully inform future government policies and changes to driving laws, as preventing these types of accidents is the best way to help prevent further avoidable deaths. Obviously, there will always be traffic-related accidents, but we can work to cut down on the numbers involved.