Is London the most dangerous city for pedestrians in the UK?

A recent study drawing on data from the Department for Transport Statistics, has identified the City of London as the most hazardous area for pedestrians in the UK.

From 2013 to 2022, an alarming 28.15% of all road collisions in the area involved pedestrians, with 2018 marking the peak danger year at 32.49%.

Scotland's Dundee City emerges as the second most perilous locale, where 23.98% of traffic accidents involved pedestrians during the same period.

Here too, 2018 was particularly treacherous, seeing 29.67% of such incidents.

Westminster, another high-risk London area, ranks third. On average, 23.43% of collisions there involved pedestrians each year, with 2013 noted as the most dangerous at 29.7%.

Oldham, located in the North West, takes the fourth spot, where 22.63% of accidents annually involved pedestrians. Notably, 2022 was the most hazardous year, with pedestrian involvements climbing to 32.81%.

Glasgow City completes the top five, with pedestrians involved in 22% of all reported accidents from 2013 to 2022. The year 2013 saw the highest percentage of pedestrian collisions at 24.62%.

The methodology involved analysing 'Pedestrian Only' collision data from the Department for Transport to calculate and rank the average percentage of pedestrian-involved collisions over the ten-year period. Such statistics are used to understand traffic safety dynamics and underpin future improvements in pedestrian safety across the UK.

A spokesperson for Howden Insurance, the firm who compiled the report, said: “While overall road safety has seen an improvement in many areas in the past ten years, its cause for concern that some areas it is evidently still an issue, like with Oldham seeing its most dangerous year in 2022. With the idea of walkable cities being pushed by many city councils, it’s important that pedestrian safety is heavily considered to ensure people still feel it’s a sensible idea to walk instead of driving.”