Decade sees decrease in road accidents

But accidents in the UK’s busiest areas – London and south-east England – have risen slightly, the statistics released yesterday by Post Office Car Insurance showed.

Overall, the number of road accidents reported by police fell from just over 229,000 in 2001 to 151,474 in 2011.

The biggest decrease was in north-west England where the number fell 44 per cent, while the West Midlands saw a decrease of 40 per cent.

But the number of accidents in London rose 1.3 per cent between 2001 and 2011, while the number increased 2.3 per cent in south-east England.

The figures also showed that London and south-east England accounted for 32 per cent of all accidents reported to police in 2011.

Wales accounted for just 4 per cent of all accidents last year, the same percentage as north-east England.

By road type, motorway accidents fell 36 per cent – from 9,128 in 2001 to 5,819 in 2011.